What Is A Masterpiece?

The portrait society of America.

- Edward Jonas

A few years ago during a get-together at a good friend’s house, one of the guests, who works in the medical science field, announced to the group that she was taking a course on the history of art, and that she found it confusing trying to follow the “isms” of style and especially the “how and why” that some artworks were selected as great and others not. Then she turned to me and said, “Ed, you’re an artist, explain to me why some things are masterpieces and others aren’t because it’s not at all apparent to me!”

All eyes shot to me, and I was on the spot so without trying to hide my stunned look, my first words were, “Hum, well yes that can be confusing.” I was buying think time. “The problem with understanding art history is that it helps to think of the various periods as a reflection of the changing thinking and growth of knowledge within a culture. It’s sort of like a pendulum that swings from one extreme to the other, marking the end of one period and beginning of the next. Therefore, great art is simply works that help move the pendulum!” “Oh, that makes sense,” she said and moved on to another topic. Ha, I was off the hook, though I knew my explanation was one of those circular answers that lead nowhere, but I hadn’t really addressed what was at the center of her question, “…What is a masterpiece?”