What separates good art from convoluted, overpriced, overdone inkblots on a canvas? Is it the quality of the material? Applying tint and lighting? The variations in length and pressure attributed during brush strokes? While these points are taken into consideration when critically examining a work, the public labels art by simpler means: "What looks good" and "What looks bad" . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay With this mindset, all arts can be placed into either of these two classifications without much thought as to why. The claim that a piece is “ugly” can come from a multitude of factors: the aesthetic and the story behind a piece. Works of art are judged as being sorted and labeled, but can pieces that deviate from the norm of what we consider beautiful as a society still be masterpieces in their own right? When we look at a work, we make our assumptions quickly and unconsciously. Our mammalian brains can't help but find excitement in pretty colors and vivid images, making pieces that fit such a description more appealing to our eyes. However, we also base our judgment on what we understand about the history of this piece. Consider Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, a painting that has no remarkable features. The colors are dull to the eye and contain no shock factor or “wow” factor that would set it apart from any other piece. The pose is stoic and unoriginal, making it a common portrait of those who were wealthy enough to afford artists at the time, and the look of oil paint on canvas is rather gloomy. Why then does this work of art enjoy such a prestigious reputation? The answer may lie in the signature on the piece. Take away Da Vinci's name and the Mona Lisa is no more extravagant than any other painting adorning the walls of a museum. Without Leonardo da Vinci's signature, would groups still be posing for photos near the crowded Louvre window? Or would it disappear into history like the hundreds of other portraits of nobility from the Renaissance period? Consider the landscape work titled “Mother Mary with the Holy Child Jesus Christ.” From the title alone we can interpret the subject of the work to be the Virgin Mary and the Lamb of God. The work depicts the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus in a clearing in a field of daffodils. The palette of the work includes bold and inviting colors, from the warm sunlight in the background to the leafy bushes that cover the foreground. It's a beautiful piece. So why is this work part of an unwritten list of disgraced works of art? The answer once again comes from the signature on the piece. The artist who painted this work is much better recognized for his position as an architect of the Nazi Party. Unlike the artist in question, Adolf Hitler's works are not displayed on museum walls; some were opened to private auction while others were claimed as property of the United States government. Suddenly this work is no longer as warm and inviting, and we interpret the work in a completely different light. When considering the context of the work, the art can then become easier to classify into good/bad art categories. If the work was painted by a well-known artist, then the work is good and if it was painted by an artist recognized as a”.