[ericsp23]

I'm not sure that the amount of effort an artist puts into a work is really a valid point of criticism. I can see your point to an extent though. If the artist is just scribbling on a piece of paper in the hopes that some fool will pay him some money for it, then I agree, it is a valid critique. But I do think it is patently unfair to assume that that is the attitude that all abstract artists have, and I would never assume that that is the case unless I had some evidence to support it.
Do you have any other information on that painting that you are using to illustrate your point? Who was the artist? What did he name it? Did he make any public comments on the piece? The context is very important in judging any work of art in my opinion. I would need know those things before making any final judgements on a particular piece.