What Defines Work of Arts?

Owing to its fluidity, it is very difficult to pin down the greatness of work of arts by aesthetic or thematic values; since these values work according to individual tastes and likes, and seem to mean different things to different people. Despite this slippery canvass, conventions and rules are usually applied to determine a piece as a high quality work or not.

Theories and opinions have been put forward with regard to what defines a great work of art, with sharp distinction between Conservative art Critics and the New Critics. The New Critics and the scholars of Popular Culture seem to be working in sync to eliminate the line between high and low arts.

Many a writer struggles to get a place in literary scene. Some important writers that are being celebrated today were the unknown men of yesterday. They were never celebrated in their life-time, nor received any critical attention from the literary luminaries and critics of their days.  Some died unread, unknown, and only came to receive literary accolades posthumously.  John Kennedy Toole for instance, was unable to publish his work in his life-time, A Confederacy of Dunces, only to be published and earned the Pulitzer Prize for fiction after taking his own life. Nicolas Gogol, died a sad writer, only to be discovered after his death and named as one of the greatest Russian novelists. Shelves upon shelves were filled with commentaries over his works. The American novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald died with a pain gnawing at his soul, the critics of his time were unable to understand his work, the Great Gastby, and fetched him the attention he deserved. It was until after his death that the book came to be regarded arguably as one of the greatest American novels of the 20^th century. 

Since Adam, thousands upon thousands of works have been written, of which many had left the shelf. It is important to investigate the qualities and standards that define a truly work of art. Therefore, the question is what qualifies a work of art to sail into the district of literary canons and be accepted as a good work? Is it the thematic values or the aesthetic qualities; stern, muscular and serious narratives? Is it personality, accidents and conjectures, qualities or superb literary craftsmanship?