Is it Really an Unforgivable Sin to Be Unappreciative of Art?

First I need to put in a disclaimer.  I am a "left brain" thinker.  I used to be 100% left brain and not creative at all... but having a wife that was an art major and a "right brain" thinker has helped me some.  Also, having stated I have an artist as a wife, hopefully I can stay out of the doghouse with this post! (she knows most of this about me anyway)


Art - the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.


This is just one definition from Dictionary.com of what art is... but it's a good one.  "of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance" - What a subjective thing.  As is art.  And I don't like subjective.  But that's my own quirk.  There is plenty of stuff that is art which I think, even if it is subjective, everyone can agree it doesn't rise to the level of meeting the last part of the definition - "of more than ordinary significance".  I mean, if I go into a museum I want to be "wowed".  But what do I get instead, pieces that I can only conclude were the result of a kindergarten finger painting project.  And that is my main criticism of some art.  I think what really gets me is just the post-modern mindset that is within art.  Basically those in art can't really define what art is.  Therefore everything is art, and many artist are pushing the limit on this idea.  But I think if everything is art, you're creating an environment where nothing is art.  There must remain some sort of exclusivity, privilege or level of quality to garner the title of Art.  I think that if I can re-create what is hanging on the wall in one afternoon it doesn't deserve to be held as "more than ordinary significance" and hung in a museum.  The most popular response I've heard to that is, yea you could re-create it, but you didn't come up with the idea, and that's why it's art.  True, I didn't come up with the idea, but not because I am incapable, but because I don't care to. 

 This one and the next one, I just don't really get the point.

This one is pretty simple and rather easy to duplicate I would think

another rather simple one, but I do actually kind of like this one.  I think it's the beach.

Art that I do actually like a lot is realism.  Stuff that you look at and it makes you think, how in the world did someone draw or paint something that looks so life like!  Something that took some real skill to accomplish and that I could not even come close to replicating b/c I have no artistic ability whatsoever!  I like these (the middle two are amazing, how you paint that is beyond me!):

I also don't mind the whimsical type of art.  Things that are not so realistic looking, but at least I know what they are.  Here are a few of those:

Then there is other art.  Stuff that may qualify more as entertainment than art.  But it is entertaining and I do enjoy it.

I think my conclusion is that I am just too narrow-minded or simple-minded to really grasp the ideas behind most art and therefore lack an appreciation for it.  This is why I can only appreciate art that I know what it is and I don't have to figure out what it is.  Actually, I guess my conclusion is that I do appreciate obvious beauty and when art captures that I appreciate art (such as the beach and mountain photos above).  Lucky for us simple-minded folks, everyone can appreciate and enjoy beauty.