What is good taste and how do I know if I have it?

There is a sense of pride attached to having good taste, considered by many to be a favourable trait, it is often worn as a badge of honour. From critically acclaimed films to Pulitzer Prize novels, taste can be used as a not-so-subtle way of demonstrating intellect. In addition, taste can act as a means to express our personality. It comes as no surprise that the objects and ideas that we value, directly influence how we choose to spend our time; whether that’s pinning minimalist interiors to a Pinterest board or listening to trap music, our tastes ultimately shape who we are as individuals. Collectively our preferences hold a lot of importance, and the idea of good taste has long been a subject of debate. Is Emily in Paris a cultural phenomenon? Could a five-year-old really paint that? The answer to these questions is (no lmao) frankly a matter of opinion. So what does it mean to have good taste? And who determines what’s good?

The idea of good and bad taste can be traced back for centuries, to a time when prominent tastemakers discerned the beautiful from the banal. Aesthetic philosopher Immanuel Kant argues that good taste exists, but it cannot be empirically identified, largely due to the fact that our appreciation of objects is entirely subjective. Whereas French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu links taste to class, identifying it as “a means of distinguishing ourselves from others”. This idea still resonates today, as we witness the rise of art as a form of conspicuous consumption. For example: a billionaire buys a shiny Jeff Koons sculpture for the same reason he buys a yacht—he wants you to know that he’s a billionaire without telling you. We’ve identified personal possessions as common signifiers of taste, so how do we begin to quantify this?

Good taste in art is rooted in ideas of aesthetic value, referring to something that is of high quality. Open any art history textbook and you will be presented with Michelangelo’s David or Raphael’s The School of Athens. These High Renaissance works are considered the apex of Italian artistic production. When assessing the value of an artwork, we are often told to analyse technique: the quality of brush strokes, the saturation of colour, the synchrony of performance; we are encouraged to observe certain elements of art in search of excellence. However, this notion of “good” art needing to follow a specific set of rules is not only outdated but purely speculative. 

Many art historians assert that Renaissance paintings require great skill, yet consider non-Western art to be primitive. This belief system lacks any formal method or validity, as it rests solely on the opinions of a small group of people. The idea of good taste shouldn’t be conflated with Western idealism, in which Eurocentric qualities are synonymous with high value. We should strive to explore quality in its many iterations. Artistic excellence exists within countless art forms, and it is wrong to place higher value on an artwork simply because of its proximity to Western culture. Good taste should ultimately reward individualism and expression.

That is not to say that we should applaud an artist simply for being obscure. As a society we often place indie/alternative culture on a wrongful pedestal, reinforcing the idea that anything mainstream is inherently bad. Whether that refers to teenage girls and boybands or hypebeasts and street art, there’s a perceived absence of intellectualism in anything enjoyed by large groups of people. Society often treats popular movements with contempt, in reality these art forms are very deserving of their popularity. Artists deserve to be judged on their creativity and artistic merit, not on how well known they are. Criticising mainstream culture purely for being mainstream is a practice that only further perpetuates elitism.

Developing “good” taste ultimately stems from cultivation, and the best way to achieve this is by seeing as much art as you can. Whether it’s abstract paintings or conceptual sculptures, immerse yourself. This will allow you to form your own opinions and feel confident in your personal judgement. A trained eye will equip you with the skills needed to develop a perspective that is unique to you, so don't be afraid to explore new artists and exhibitions. The art that you enjoy doesn’t have to be meaningful or complex, it just has to resonate with you.

Embrace the freedom to approach art in the same way that you would approach anything else. There is little difference between discovering your favourite painting and discovering your favourite song. Despite what you may have been told, good taste cannot be measured, nor should it be. To try to quantify something as arbitrary as taste is incredibly difficult and essentially futile. The truth is, there is no right way to enjoy art. Taste is subjective and should be treated as such.