Is there ever such a thing as “bad” art?

Art can easily be defined as “creative expression” - any manifestation of human skill and emotion, whether it is paintings, music, or literature.

However, today we are looking at the most common things associated with it: paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

I recently visited the Tate Museum with my family, which was a wonderful experience as we saw art in all its mediums, methods, and movements.

Many paintings, such as those by John Constable or JMW Turner, were unanimously agreed to be beautiful, skilfully created pieces that truly reflected the charm of nature, or human cities.

However, other pieces were met with confused looks and even sometimes offence.

Some could not believe that more abstract, symbolic pieces of art were held in the very same museum as ones with intricate brushwork and gorgeous depictions of the world.

So, this poses the question, is there ever such a thing as “bad” art?

Of course, there are many different responses that can be given to this question, but here is mine - no.

I believe that as long as art is defined as “creative expression,” surely it is ignorant and wrong to call a piece “bad” art? 

There are pieces we may not understand, find beautiful or meaningful but to others, and the artist, that work can hold a great deal of weight conveying many different things.

Indeed, if we constantly compare the works of some with others, we can call some pieces “better” but why should we?

Is it right to say that one person's emotions and expressions are more valuable and worthy than someone else’s, because of our perspective?

As an artist myself, I have encountered people who have loved my style of merging poetry with abstract elements and nature, but also those who simply dislike the chaos or unconventionality of my works.

And I completely understand.

But to me, none of that means my art is “good” or “bad,” just that it is to some peoples tastes and not to others.

However, calling a piece “bad” simply because it is not traditional or immediately understandable, I feel is ignorant. 

There are many ways to create art, and all should be celebrated, or at the very least, face efforts to be understood.

Otherwise, how can we evaluate and fairly judge them?

After such thinking and discussions, we may find that pure creative expression is never truly “bad.”