I find that as a "normal person" consuming some kinds of art (novels, films/TV, paintings, etc.), I'm not sure how to react when I don't find something appealing or interesting. How do you decide whether it's because the art is of a low quality, because you aren't experienced enough to really appreciate it, or because it simply isn't to your taste?
Sometimes it feels obvious to me. I can read a page of a novel and realize "Huh, this writing feels clunky." Other times, I'll look at a painting that seems like gibberish to me, and which is presented without any explanation that helps me appreciate it.
Still other times, I will love a musical artist and consider them to have depth and subtlety, but a close friend will completely dismiss their music as nonsense. As a music school graduate and someone who can use music theory to "prove" for myself that the music I like is better than the music they like, I feel satisfied that I'm right; but of course, the friends also don't understand or really care about music theory, and are equally convinced that their own taste is correct.
How do you decide for yourself whether it's a quality problem or a problem with the consumer of the art? Have you had revelatory experiences where friends successfully got you to see the beauty in something you'd previously thought was crap?
Sometimes it feels obvious to me. I can read a page of a novel and realize "Huh, this writing feels clunky." Other times, I'll look at a painting that seems like gibberish to me, and which is presented without any explanation that helps me appreciate it.
Still other times, I will love a musical artist and consider them to have depth and subtlety, but a close friend will completely dismiss their music as nonsense. As a music school graduate and someone who can use music theory to "prove" for myself that the music I like is better than the music they like, I feel satisfied that I'm right; but of course, the friends also don't understand or really care about music theory, and are equally convinced that their own taste is correct.
How do you decide for yourself whether it's a quality problem or a problem with the consumer of the art? Have you had revelatory experiences where friends successfully got you to see the beauty in something you'd previously thought was crap?