chandrika

The true test of greatness of a work of art is the ability to be understood by masses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a famous saying, "It is lonely on the top." It is true that the highest stage in any field is achieved by very few people. Great artists possess a higher level of creativity than commoners. The work they produce sometimes may not be understood by laymen. But that doesn't make the greatness of art or artist any less. Hence the ability to be understood by the masses is not an appropriate measure of the greatness of a work of art. Consider film industry for an instance. Movies which are of very high quality are appreciated widely, in spite of their reach. A commercial film might attract masses, but it would never be considered a great work of art. A sophisticated film with many convoluted abstract concepts may not be understood by masses but is a great work of art in the eyes of critics. Nobody denies its worth. Great artists like Picasso and Vincent Vangogh created beautiful paintings, which are widely renown for their greatness, but even today, the meanings of several of their paintings remain a mystery for most of the common people. So their greatness is not determined their reach to the masses. Even though, the greatness of an artwork might not be dependent on the mass recognition, it is certainly an additional qualification. An arcane artwork, when appreciated by the masses, could be considered the most successful. The ability to be understood by the masses is an icing on top of a cake for great works of art. Hence the ability to be understood by the masses is good but not a true test for an artwork. Because often, great art is above the reach of masses.