It wasn't until late in life that I realized the visual arts were important to me. I used to think I liked some movies just because I did, not because something about the color or photography appealed to me.
The same was true about paintings; they weren't an active part of my life aside from some posters or mediocre artwork hanging on my grandmother's wall as an attempt at 'decoration' (not very thought through).
As I grew older and more interested in art, I realized that many times, what differentiated a really good painting or film from another wasn't precisely its motive, or its concept, or even the mastery with which it had been created, but the simple use of color, light and shadow, and a subtle balance behind everything else.
I know this might sound obvious to people who are very obviously into art, but it wasn't obvious to me at the time; I used to take it for granted.
It's like with literature; at first, I thought the plot was everything, but as I read more and explored more experimental genres, I realized the plot was the least important part of a book. It was everything about cadence, musicality, the evocation of powerful images and feelings, and maybe, if it's a very skilled writer, the opening of a question about something we typically overlook.
Art is a vast universe; it's intermixed with taste, and it changes with the circumstances and time. I guess it's interesting because it's very hard to define, and part of its glow is that it's impossible to do so.
I suppose these thoughts are way too serious or philosophical as an introduction to a meme list, but maybe you are reading them because you're interested, or because you feel the same way, and that's why Classical Art memes are funny to you.
So either way, here they are!