Art is a quite subjective matter when it comes to likes and dislikes. A piece of art which pleases a certain group of people will not necessarily appease a different group of people. The prompt suggests that, for a certain piece of art to have merit, it must be comprehensible to the majority of people. I strongly disagree with this prompt for two main reasons.
Firstly, it is important that people should be able to interpret a work of art from their perspective. However, solely because people cannot construe the work, does not mean that it does not hold merit. The meaning of the art could be more profound than the majority can interpret. It could only appease a group of people who have a deep understanding of art, thus making it esoteric. For example, an artist coming from a rural background, who writes a song on rural life and the struggles of rural life, might not succeed in attracting a large portion of modern audience. However, his song could be highly popular and could be praised by a local audience, who is able to interpret the song correctly. Thus, lack of approval from a majority, does not demerit a piece of art.
Further, when it comes to art, its success or merit cannot be associated only with the ability of people to understand its meaning. Art is something that gives joy to people and is enjoyable. It is possible for a majority of people to like something without actually understanding the meaning of it. For instance, a large majority of people seem to enjoy songs in foreign languages even if they cannot understand its meaning. People like the song for its music or the vocal skills of the singer. Similarly, people also enjoy watching movies in foreign languages because they like the cinematography and not because they enjoy the story that the movie provides. It is more important to look at the artistic skill when it comes to judging art, rather than the meaning that it holds.
In conclusion, even if a majority of people cannot construe the meaning of an art work, it does not demerit the art, as the quality of art depends on many other factors like the style of the artist or the pleasure it provides to people.