Finding Artistic Value

Artistic value is a common question of society.  How do we know if one piece of artwork is more valuable than another?  Typically it is thought that the older the piece of art, the more valuable it is financially. The main reasoning for this is the originality of the painting is more authentic.  As time goes on we have more ideas already in circulation and the options for innovation and originality seem to become slimmer.  However, this freshness and creativity can also be considered historic value rather than artistic, because, at the time, that type of artistic outbreak would have been a change to society’s view of art.  This would put the basis for artistic value entirely on how the piece of art looks. Unfortunately, every person on the planet has a different opinion as to what art looks good, and what art looks bad.  This can make it pretty difficult to find a standard for measuring the worth of someone’s artwork.  What we have done with our paintings and sculptures is find a common majority’s opinion and then put a price tag on the piece.  This amount tends to increase once the artist is deceased because their artwork can never be reproduced.  Someone could simply make a copy, but the picture always looks a little different because the original artist naturally has more emotion and passion for their art.  There is a sense of personality and genuine emotion in an original piece of art that is lacking in copies, because the original artist sacrificed part of them to create that piece.  That’s also why it is easier to find the value of art after the artist is dead.  If a new artist comes out with a piece, no one is spending time researching their work and their life to find the inspiration and meaning of the art.  It would be easier to do it that way, but humans are just funny and we procrastinate until it is clearly too late and the person is dead.  Personally I think that all art has the same value, because whether I think it is pretty or not, each artist has contributed a part of their heart and soul so that I could see their artwork.  The price tag is always added later once the piece has been studied and evaluated and understood.  If there is no understanding, there is no value.