How to spot crappy art.

[Char]

So the thread a little bit back on the emotional manipulation of many worship songs got me thinking that maybe we should concretely identify what it is that makes crappy art so very crappy. We've discussed it a little before, but I want a relatively solid list of things to avoid.

[Chad Gibbons]

Shallowness. Mawkishness. High marketability. Generally, I stay away from anything that people gush over.

[Rey Reynoso]

Painting or style with the intent of being marketable. Marketability is fine until it becomes the focus of what is being done. I think all crappy art embraces marketability as an overarching goal.

[Char]

Chad I want you flesh that out a little if you can. What makes mawkish and shallow? How can we tell if our art has moved into that territory? See the interesting thing for me about the worship threads was that many people weren't getting the distinction between evoking emotion and emotional manipulation. There is a clear distinction there for me, so I'm hoping we can define some of that.

And, uh, I gush over Charles Rennie Mackintosh...but only because he was WICKEDAWSUM. In which case it's okay right??

Rey you are holding up the "Thomas Kinkaid SUX" fort I see... :) Totally agreed.

[H]

Poor craftsmanship. Suspect technique. Lack of color theory. Chameleon - like style. Gimmicky. Pretentious. Affected. Self-congratulatory. Self-absorbed. Narcissisic. Thoughtless. Dumbed-down and made for mass consumption. Sofa art. Happy clouds.

Evoking emotion: The Gates of Hell by Rodin. The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. The Disasters of War by Goya.

Emotional manipulation: Pretty much any print found in a Christian bookstore.

How'd I do?