First - get the notes from the judge! Don't listen to what others are saying. I'm wondering how they seem to know what the judge was thinking. If they were involved in the sessions with the judge, I find it very disturbing that they would pass on comments that were made. My understanding is those sessions and what is said in them are confidential. At our shows, the notes are typed up, put into an envelope and sealed to be returned to the quiltmaker. There is to be no discussion of them from the people who took the notes for the judge or those who input them for printing,
In my experience, a judge looks at the quality of the workmanship. Yes, the overall look of the quilt factors into that, and often you'll get a comment from the judge about a nice use of color or something like that. However, the constructive criticism (always put in a positive manner) focuses on the workmanship: "Most of your points are sharp and noticeable, but a few were cut off," "Work toward getting a 90 degree angle on your binding at the corners," "You had a good choice of border fabric, but it was somewhat wavy," and that kind of thing. Since this quilt was entered in the art category, I would think it is doubtful the shape was a factor in the judging.
All that being said, perhaps this judge just didn't "get" art quilts. Hopefully when a judge is selected, they are certified as a judge and not just someone who likes quilts. And you hope they are able to judge quilts based on the category in which they're entered. Don't give up - read the judge's notes and see where he/she thinks you could improve. Above all else, unless the ribbons are important to you, make quilts YOU like and want to live with after the show.