On the Discrepancy of Taste

The discrepancy of taste is a topic which has interested thinkers for a long time. Can there be found an objective evaluation of one person's taste over that of anothers? Perhaps this question can best be dealt with by suggesting a hypothetical situation.

Imagine a situation of having to choose between destroying a difficult painting which gives great pleasure to a small elite (X), or a more accessible painting that gives moderate pleasure to a great number (Y). It is my belief that it would be preferable to destroy Y. The reasoning behind this decision to retain X and destroy Y is twofold; the small elite may be better trained to appreciate fine art than the general public is, and the small elite could later educate the public as to why one gains great pleasure from such art. The writings of David Hume supports this logic, for Hume believed that the merits of a work of art are best discerned by an ideal critic.[1]

History has many examples of works of art which are now considered to be important and influential and yet were not appreciated by the larger public at the time. Marcel Duchamp is one example of an artist who is now considered to be one of the most influential artistic figures of the twentieth century, although many of his works were not immediately understood and accepted by the general public. In the early twentieth century Pablo Picasso created Les Demoiselles d’Avignon during the same period that Henri Matisse had painted Le Bonheur de Vivre. At the time Picasso’s painting was viewed as ugly and profane while Matisse’s work was seen as more aesthetically pleasing. In modern art historical and critical circles however, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is considered to be one of the most influential paintings of the twentieth century.[2] How does one account for this discrepancy of taste? At the time the Salon painters were more accustomed to art with themes of sensuality or pleasure, as seen in Le Bonheur de Vivre. Picasso’s work is monumental specifically because it makes a break with traditional Western illusionistic art. Because Picasso’s break with the Western tradition was so revolutionary the general public at the time simply did not know how to appreciate what he had done, although a few critics did realize the significance of Les Demoiselles. It is therefore important that the tastes of properly trained individuals should be valued over that of the general public in the appreciation of fine art, for the eye of the informed critic is more likely to recognize significant works of art.

David Hume believed that it was possible to provide an objective standard of taste. He wrote that, “It is natural for us to seek a Standard of Taste; a rule by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled; at least a decision afforded confirming one sentiment, and condemning another.”[3] Hume believed that the general public did not possess the refined taste required in order to appreciate art. In his view one needed to be endowed with certain qualities in order to properly assess the merit of a work of art. This is where his conception of the ideal critic becomes relevant. For Hume, an ideal critic must possess good perception in order to appreciate the delicacies of art, they must have experience of the kind of artworks they are dealing with, they must be knowledgeable about art, and they must be unbiased.[4]

In everyday practice humans do discern between good and poor taste. The fact that the Da Vinci Code is a best seller does not mean that Brown will replace Shakespeare’s preeminence in the world of literature in the foreseeable future. Fine dining is more highly valued than the cuisine of fast food restaurants, and similarly while sales may be higher for lower quality champagnes this does not translate into such wine being of higher quality than a bottle of Dom Pérignon. Why is a premium placed on certain works of literature, cuisine or certain wines? It is because the taste of the refined palate is highly valued and respected. In fact the current view in modern society equates the qualities that make a good wine connoisseur in a fashion similar to what Hume proposed for the qualities of an ideal critic. A wine taster must have a sensitive nose and taste buds in order to properly appreciate the delicate flavours of a vintage, they must be experienced and knowledgeable about wine, and they must remain as unbiased as possible.

As already stated, among the pleasurable pursuits of literature, food and drink it is readily acknowledged that discrepancies between good and poor taste does exist. It is not unreasonable to believe that what gives fine art an elevated status above that of everyday craft is a similar difference between good and poor taste. This discrepancy is precisely the reason why it would be preferable to retain the more difficult painting which gives great pleasure to a small elite; the general public may not have a refined enough taste in order to properly appreciate the work of art. If the modern art critic had to choose between loosing Le Bonheur de Vivre or Les Demoiselles forever, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that most would choose to keep Les Demoiselles. This would be due to the painting’s importance in the development of the Western artistic tradition, and in particular the avant garde movement.

Philosophers, being as strict as they can be about details, will still desire to know exactly what it is that an ideal critic would be judging in a work of art. The problem may be that philosophers are seeking a definitive answer for something that is difficult to quantify in terms of set protocols. When a wine taster comments on a specific vintage they look for particular qualities such as colour, clarity, bouquet, flavour and so forth. When it comes to fine art there are some particulars that one can quantify from immediate observation such as line, shape and colour, but often there are qualities to the appreciation of a work of art which are not immediately apparent in the artifact. These might be features such as the work’s provenance and history, the context in which the work was created, a shift in artistic tradition which the work inspired, as well as many other aspects which are not immediately appreciable to the viewer. Once again this is where the specialized focus of an informed critic becomes important for artistic comprehension and evaluation. A properly trained critic will be experienced with and knowledgeable of past works of art, and they will possess a refined eye for the detection of minute details in such art. Once the critic has evaluated an artwork they may then go on to explain the merits of the artwork to the general public.

There exists a belief in society that for humans to best understand a new phenomenon, individuals should be educated by trained professionals. This is why universities rely on professors to elucidate the intricacies of literature or poetry for the uninitiated. In the same way a trained art critic can also educate someone who is new to the appreciation of art. For example, the cubist movement allowed one to view the representation of three dimensional space on the canvas in a different manner than had ever been accomplished before. To the uninitiated the significance of this would not immediately be apparent, for an early cubist painting like Les Demoiselles is not at all beautiful in any traditional sense. In order to understand and appreciate the merits of Les Demoiselles one needs to comprehend the nature of the intellectual breakthrough Picasso had achieved by breaking with the rigid, canonical past. This understanding on the part of the viewer cannot be reached by observation alone; it must be explained to the novice by an expert.

It is clear that for fine art to retain a level of importance above that of average craft, there must be understood the discrepancy between good and poor taste. When an artist takes a revolutionary step which may contribute to the dynamic evolution of the artistic tradition, it is important to have the informed critic there to recognize such developments. Once an original innovation is understood by such an official in the art world the significance of the artistic development may be transmitted to the general public through education. Hume recognized the importance of ideal critics of art for their refined taste. It is evident from a social acknowledgement of the discrepancy of tastes in literature, cuisine and wines that the truth of Hume’s words rings true today.


[1] David Hume, Of the Standard of Taste, Philosophy 2807 Course Pack, pg. 17
[2] Hugh Honour & John Fleming, The Visual Arts: A History 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005, pg. 771
[3] Hume, pg. 5
[4] Hume, pg. 17