To Understand Great Art, Context is Everything

There are all these lists — The 100 Best ‘Whatevers’ of All Time, that sort of thing — and I often wonder if these movies, books and songs are still any good, if they are still the best.

More often than not, most great art, the best art, from years past — whether it’s one year, two year, or fifty years — does not meet expectations. You go in with the hopes you’ll experience greatness, but come away disappointed.

You understand why the thing could have been great, why its celebrated, but fail to see the true genius of it…