I come across artists scattered in all different types of fields that are either overlooked or barely get any appreciation. For the inattentive eye, this might seem normal if these artists are not great in their respective fields, yet it's often the case they are just simply underrated; their abilities go past the head of the casual onlooker.
The majority of popularized works of art, as well as popular or mainstream things in general, have been marketed in such a way to appeal to a mass audience. Yes, there are the few exceptions, the rare person with some stroke of luck who gets noticed in his present time, yet this is few and far between the norm. In the works of literature, I can think of only a dozen or so examples where a gifted individual is widely appreciated for his works during his lifetime and most of time as soon as they pass on an explosion of interest surrounding their creations slowly builds, sometimes even end up getting marked by the timeless label of a classic.
Now, your average connoisseur of course has a great and diverse understanding of whichever select field they choose study. They can come from all walks of life and there's always that memorable time you encounter someone who you would never suspect of having some encyclopedic knowledge on a subject rivaling Goethe or Da Vinci. It's all to misunderstood that anyone is capable of developing this cognizance, regardless of their "educational" levels, merits, or background.
Usually these are the types to first recognize and apply informed criticism to an artist before they reach widespread appreciation. Healthy art finds its way to those who can really enjoy it for what it is, so really there's always somebody that will appreciate it with a high level of discernment.
Being underrated is an indication of wholeness and long lasting impact; the more underrated something is, the less of its true value is being distorted by sentiment and mob mentality. It's also a practical shorthand to see which artists are worthy enough to take a closer look at, without getting caught up in all the noise which eighty-percent of things are made up of.
