3 Easy Ways to Tell if Your Art is Fine Art or Just Pretty Art

Someone wrote that fine art has three primary functions:

1. For the art to change the recipient, 
2. For the art to change the artist, 
3. For its own aesthetic value

What a wonderful description of fine art.
Breaking down this statement we can see how fine art can be separated from designer art.
While designer art will certainly pretty up a room you can see it totally misses one of the criteria of fine art and that is to change the recipient viewing it.
Fine art is often called profound or deep.
It cause you to think to feel.
This is why an art piece like Three Studies of Lucian Bacon sells for $145,000,000

Three Studies of Lucian Bacon

And an art piece that is drawn for a greeting card does not.

http://www.donnabellasangels.org/art/word/peace.html

Fine art has many different layers.and many levels of complexity.
You never get it at first glance and it is for this very reason of it's complexity, that many people shy away from it.
It takes work to "get it".
Greeting card art no matter how pretty, pleases your eye on one level and it is over and done with.
It is easy art and it is art people get at first look.
Good Art Is Interpreted.
Good Design Is Understood.
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/09/the-difference-between-art-and-design/