There’s a quiet kind of elitism that floats through the art world—often unspoken, but felt. It whispers that art must be “important” to be worthy. That it must be bold, political, uncomfortable, tragic, or deeply conceptual. And if it’s not? If it’s simply beautiful? Then it’s dismissed as decorative. As surface. As less.
Let’s call that what it is: nonsense.
Somewhere along the line, we decided that “pretty” art didn’t count. That flowers, landscapes, abstracts in gold leaf, dreamy portraits and soft tones were lesser forms of expression. That beauty without message meant failure of meaning. That to be respected, an artist had to confront, disrupt, or disturb.
And while there is space for all of that, we must stop devaluing the artists who create from a different impulse—the desire to make something visually exquisite.
Because guess what? Beauty is a valid goal.
Not every painting needs to challenge the viewer. Not every photograph has to make a statement. Sometimes the statement is the feeling of stillness. Sometimes it’s joy. Sometimes it’s harmony or elegance or light.
Decorative art has always existed—on the walls of homes, in sacred spaces, in interior design, in public buildings, in handmade books, in fashion, in murals, in craft. And it has always mattered.
To call something “just decorative” is to forget that humans have been adorning their lives with art for millennia. Not to provoke—but to lift. To celebrate. To elevate the everyday. That is not trivial. That is culture.
The artist who paints a perfect seascape is not less valid than the one who smears anguish across canvas. The photographer who captures sunlight through petals is not less brave than one who photographs war. They are different. Not better. Not worse. Just different.
So let’s stop treating decorative art like the soft option. It takes just as much talent to create balance, movement, and visual pleasure. A master of beauty is no less than a master of protest.
We don’t need every artwork to shout. Sometimes, we need something that simply lets us breathe.
