What does canon mean in art?

In art, canon refers to a standard used to compare artworks. The canon is the set of pieces generally agreed upon by historians to be of exceptionally high quality due to the artists' originality, skill and technique. Historically, pieces considered outside the canon were not thought to be as great as those that were and went largely understudied. Although the term "the canon" is still in use today, scholars no longer use this strict method of evaluating works and instead tend to consider the social and cultural implications when determining what is worthy of research and study. Find a large collection of fine art on 1stDibs.