It must have mystery, I think. Sometimes it's just the mystery of beauty.

What makes painting a good work of art? Plain and simple (to me anyway) something you just cannot take your eyes off of. Something that you see that strikes your soul to the very depths, that opens your eyes and your mind to the beauty of it.

I was taught that a thought-provoking piece with the formal conditions of beauty, composition, rhythm, color manipulation all contributed to a good work of all, but mostly it is the ‘leap in the imagination’ that stirs my soul.

And here is my answer, hope others will follow.

A good painting has not much to do with looking pretty. A good painting is about balance and composition, it is meant to provoke thought or to disturb. A good painting is about the message or what the artist is trying to convey, it's about the use of light. A bad painting is just the opposite.