I agree with you, Cynthia, but you must admit our group is not typical of society at large. The more immersed you are in an area of interest, the more "educated" your perceptions become.
Ever felt compelled to enter one of those mega-mall framing/art-for-sale stores? Anyone seeing what people put on their walls would despair there IS such a thing as good taste! To the taste of the majority of people, Bob Ross is an icon.
One thing I do disagree with, and that is that "morals" have any place in the evaluation of art. I've seen work that is very off-putting, but executed with such a degree of excellence that I could NOT also say it was in "bad-taste"; just not appropriate for all occasions.
Semantics! A very slippery slope!
To address your question specifically, than yes, I must concede that "taste" CAN be taught, can be defined within the norms of a society. A person's perceptions can be molded to react in a trained pattern.
Not as easy as teaching this is "red", but do any of US have Elvis-on-velvet at home. (I know people who do.)
Rgds,
David
