• 是非判断

In order for any work of art - for example,
a film, a novel, a poem, or a song - to 
have merit, it must be understandable 
to most people.

have merit 类似获得赞赏吧
merit n. 优点;美德;价值;值得赞扬(或奖励、钦佩)的特点;功绩;长处;(学校或大学考试或作业的)良好 v. 值得，应得

Puzzled by perplexing paintings, we are nevertheless enamored by a painter's impressive strokes. And while the meaning of a poem may elude us, its emotional expression does not pale. Such ambiguity in comprehensibility and complexity of art constantly occurs in various art works. While the author declares art's intelligibility to be paramount, I appreciate obscure art works as well. The seeming obscureness actually mirrors the artists' dignity as well as the affluence of both the expression and representation of the artists' mental worlds. All of these characteristics contribute to the irreplaceable merits of art.

perplexing 令人困惑的 perplex 使困惑
enamor 使倾心，使迷恋 be enamored of 迷恋于...
stroke （绘画等）一笔；打击
elude 避开；使不理解
paramount 首要的
intelligibility 可理解性
obscure art work 朦胧艺术作品
dignity 尊严
affluence 丰富

The seeming obscureness actually mirrors the artists' dignity as well as the affluence of both the expression and representation of the artists' mental worlds.
这种表面上的模糊真实地反应了艺术家的尊贵和艺术家精神世界的表达和象征的丰富

I have to admit, on the one hand, that lucidity abounds in a great amount of popular artwork, from a Hollywood action movie to a catchy street song. Thanks to the work's clarity in terms of content and expression, people come to know it, accept it and, finally, are inclined to spread it. This characteristic of being understandable enables artwork, which used to be exclusive to the noble and upper class, to flourish in public and thereby attain fresh significance in modern society.

lucidity - clarity 明白，清晰
catchy 悦耳易记的
attain (通常经过努力)获得，得到;达到(某年龄、水平、状况)

Artists, however, do not always have to pander to the market, sometimes even at cost of sacrificing art's integrity and uniqueness. Neither is it possible that single individual would have an equal aesthetic appreciation of the works created by a great master with peerless skills and special personal experience.

pander (常指为谋私利而)迎合
peerless 无双的;杰出的;出众的

While I cannot turn a blind eye to copious popular movies, songs, and TV shows which emphasize the market over grace and elusiveness, I am hesitant to hastily generalize all kinds of art in the same way. Pandering to the public may gain handsome profits for a while, but the resulting artwork will soon lose its value due to the absence of enduring attraction. For supporting examples, let us turn to popular artwork: an album with a flamboyant cover, or a film lavishly decorated with advanced visual technology. Have they gained enviable popularity in the public? Possibly. Has their adulatory catering to the public taste earned them abiding merits? Hardly. The very fast that these music and film companies must conjure up various new productions one after another ironically reveals the producers' awareness of the evanescent value of their works and their trepidation of losing the market due to such fleeting value.

copious 大量的，丰富的
hesitant 犹豫的;踌躇的;不情愿的
hastily 急速地；仓促地；草率地；匆忙地
gain handsome profits
resulting 与之相应的
flamboyant 炫耀的;卖弄的;艳丽的;绚丽夺目的
lavishly 非常大方地；浪费地；极其丰富地
enviable 令人羡慕的;引起忌妒的
adulatory 奉承的;谄媚的;恭维的
cater to 投合；满足某种需要或要求；满足……的需要
earn 确保 保证
conjure up 变魔术般地创造出;使浮现于脑海;想起;（字词、声音等）使想起，使联想到
evanescent 瞬息即逝的;迅速遗忘的 - fleeting 短暂的;闪现的
trepidation 惊恐;恐惧;惊惶;不安

More importantly, the possession of merit does not necessarily require artwork to be intelligible. In fact, art's merit is primarily embodied in the artist's skill mastery, as well as by the representation of his/her inner world. Such skills frequently remain exclusive to the artist due to its opaqueness; likewise, the artist's unique personal experience also alienates him/her from those who do not share similar stories. The artwork, therefore, is not always understandable to most people, but under no circumstance does this complexity hinder the artwork from achieving its intrinsic worth. Picasso's "Guernica", one of many possible examples, sufficiently supports my claim. Prestigious for its adept expression of cubism and surrealism, as well as its vivid portrayal of the painter's mental agony and fury about violence. "Guernica" has achieved worldwide fame. However, the abstruseness of this work's expression precludes common appreciation; similarly, people with no experience under the devil's trample fail to sympathize with the painter. Nevertheless, few dispute "Guernica's" arcane expression and theme, but applaud it as a highly meritorious masterpiece.

opaqueness 神秘莫测
likewise 同样的 相似的 - similar
hinder 阻碍
cubism (20世纪初艺术的)立体主义，立体派
surrealism 超现实主义，超现实主义派(20世纪文艺流派，以离奇怪诞的方式把无关联的形象和事情串连在一起)
agony 痛苦
fury 暴怒
portrayal 描绘
trample 踩碎;踩伤;践踏;摧残(human right、心灵等)
arcane 神秘的;晦涩难懂的

To summarize, while we may feel a sense of closeness with the artists when previously elusive artwork becomes accessible, such a switch in most scenarios takes place at the expense of art's integrity. To gain a better understanding of art, we should better foster our aesthetic appreciation, rather than juvenilely demanding the convergence of elegance and mediocrity.

scenerio 设想; 方案; 预测; 剧情梗概
convergence (不同思想、群体或社会的)趋同，融合
mediocrity 平庸;普通;平常;平庸之人;碌碌无为者
juvenilely 幼稚的;青少年的;年轻的