“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. -John Lydgate
In 1995 Russian artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid embarked on a project to discover what art would look like if it was created with the sole intention of appealing to the aesthetic preferences of the greatest number of people.
The project was titled “The Most Wanted” and the art (paintings) reflect Komar & Melamid’s interpretations of a professional market survey about people’s tastes and preferences about art.
Those surveyed were asked what they like and dislike in art, with questions in the survey ranging from, “what is your favourite colour?” to, “do you prefer expressive brushstrokes or smooth canvas?”.
The artists used this information to create paintings which would be, according to their research, the most desirable paintings one could produce
The first painting in “The Most Wanted” series was displayed in New York and the project was expanded to include more than a dozen countries shortly thereafter.
You can see the survey results for all countries here and visit the official site of “The Most Wanted” and (bonus!) “Least Wanted” paintings here.
* Do you think the artists succeed in making something you love (or even like-)?
What’s your preference?
