The Mad Ravings

Complexity, confrontation, and constructiveness are the three variables I pay the most attention to.

Confrontation often results in discomfort. The avante-garde is highly confrontational and forces the audience to put in more effort for more reward. Quality art rewards the viewer with insight, beauty, or some kind of emotional catharsis, poor art is meant to be consumed and forgotten in exchange for currency.

Marketability is the enemy of quality art and it becomes more and more difficult to create quality art as the artist achieves more success. It is very possible mind you, but far more difficult.

Complexity is nuetral and does not effect the quality of a piece, but it can add depth and allow for the process of appreciation and reward to be drawn out for a larger period of time. Because of its captivating nature, complexity is especially prevelant in most art that is considered the best of the best.

The trait of constructivity is the hardest to describe, it takes the most amount of interpretation to uncover. At the core of constructive art there is intention and productivity. Pieces like John Prine or Harry Nilsson's lyrics, the Little Prince, Calvin and Hobbes, and other childrens books/folk songs are simple and have a clear moral but derive their value through a way of gentle teaching and emotional resonance. This is construction and it elevates art, although deconstruction is not undesirable in a work. The punk movement, critical thought and most philosophy all uses deconstruction in a valueble way. It is when a piece has no construction or deconstruction that it loses value. These pieces exist just so that there is more to consume. A constructionist piece guides the viewers towards beauty, a deconstructionist piece uncovers danger so that the audience can avoid pain or ignorance, and a piece in the middle is trying to get your money.