A Taste of Art

In a sense, taste refers to whether a work of art is deemed good or bad. Hume makes the argument in “Of the Standard of Taste” that sentiments about an object must be correct but opinions can be wrong. This is an interesting thought that people can have any kind of emotional response to a piece of art, but most likely none of their opinions is the right one. It is reminiscent of there is no right or wrong answer to a non-factual question, in regard to feelings toward artworks. However, someone must deem a work as right or wrong enough for a museum. Their taste is probably much more refined in the sense that they can judge with a stronger background the different elements of the art piece, like the subject matter and the use of medium. Hume also points out that if everyone’s sentiments were the same then there would be a clear definition of beauty. Art might then take on a much narrower scope. Further, there would much less opportunity for discussion on whether something is beautiful or not. Taste seems to provide a mode for selecting art that is enjoyable to the individual, and it offers a point from which to discuss and ponder art.

I suppose what I will use to judge taste is the following question: would I want this piece of art in my home or office? I honestly would not like either painting, the man or the monkey, in my home, office or any other place I commonly or uncommonly encounter. The man appears creepy, like a stalker, and the monkey is quite unsettling due the resemblance of a human portrait. Even though both appear to have required significant skill on the part of the artists, my emotional response is what dictates my decision that neither are tasteful. My ideal tasteful painting is a landscape, such as one described by Conniff, with wide-open spaces and a couple of trees. However, I can certainly appreciate a five-year-old’s version of such a landscape and not find it tasteful. Thus, I believe my version of taste is based on my own sentiments and on my novice judgment of the skill of the artist based on technique, perspective, lighting, shading, etc.