The article reveals a distinct bias toward a subset of art - the 'weird for the sake of being weird' cliche, art that is about provocation rather than communication.

I visited the Most and Least Wanted Paintings site and found its results interesting. Very little of the most wanted paintings could accurately be described as: provoke: to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex. In my opinion, the results there repudiate the definition of art provided in the current article. It seems that most people want art that makes them feel good, rather than angry, confused, bitter or excluded.

I think provocation for the sake of provocation has deprived modern art of its value and meaning, spawning an generation of artists who seek only to shock and offend, without communicating any explicit meaning.

The real flaw in the article is that it presumes a definition of art that is clearly at odds with the definition employed by most human beings, art is illustrative, most art is thematic in nature, and rather than confound, it communicates and establishes rapport and understanding. Art is not elitist, but merchandising often is, i.e., "For people who see a lot of contemporary art—myself included—a picture like this has the familiar look of "quality." " - a statement that reveals that the value of 'contemporary art' lies solely in popularity with the elite.

I think the premise in the show, of categorizing people by how much knowledge they have of Art was fundamentally flawed, for like the article, it sways the results in favor of the critically acclaimed flavor of the month, the 'it is art because the critics say so' perspective, which simply doesn't match the wants and actions of the general public. The ability to appreciate art is by all evidence universal in human beings, found in every culture and time.

Both the article, and the show, had the opportunity to debunk the claim of ownership that elitist critics and artists have laid on the universal human gift of art, both failed, chosing to argue, once again, that only the experts really know.