Art and Culture Unit 11. Great Art What makes a painting a great work of art? There are many answers to that question. Some people think that a painting should look pretty. Others disagree. The skill of the painter is important. The techniques used are also important. Most of all, a great painting has meaning. A great painting has a special element in it. Sometimes a painter's special element is the way he portrays his or her feelings in a piece of art. An example of this is Picasso's painting Guernica. It has strange shapes in it. It shows suffering people, too. It is not a very pretty picture. However, it makes people understand Picasso's feelings about war. Other times, the element is a memory or feeling. This comes from inside another person. Someone may see a painting and be reminded of a beautiful memory. A painting can also remind people of a feeling. For example, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is very popular. Many people like her smile. Some people say it is a mysterious smile. Others say it is a happy one. Still others make up stories about the woman in the painting. Which element is the most important? Is it the skill of the artist or the feelings of the person looking at the painting? Whatever the case, a painting that grabs people's emotions is popular.