Posted by John Bardos on July 13, 1999 at 16:04:43:

In Reply to: Re: Logistic of knowledge? posted by Martyn R Jones on July 12, 1999 at 14:08:01:

Hi,

I completely agree with all your reasoning.

The difference I propose is the value placed on "expression".

You said
>I combine knowledge with expression to arguably >create art

My belief is that "expression" is what is most important. Quantitatively it is small relative to the 'managed knowledge' portion. However, this little difference is all the difference.

I am sure there are many artists that can duplicate a great work of art so exactly that all but the most seasoned of experts can be fooled. A new painting can be as close to the original as possibly imaginable but, to me, this does not constitute art.

Suppose one of these masterful counterfeiters used the same knowledge of patterns, theories, etc. etc. of the original artist that you mentioned to create a different painting. This new painting will likely be equally brilliant to the uninitiated, like myself. However, I still believe that this does not constitute art. This new painting lacks real innovation. It is divorced from the original circumstances, technologies and environment that created it.

I once watched a documentary on a group that set out to build a replica of Stone Henge using ancient techniques. They needed to build huge ramps to position the stones. Out of expediency they used metal scaffolding to construct the ramps. They reasoned that the ramps were not signfigant to the final outcome. Pragmatics dictated that it would take too long to build solid earth ramps.

The ancients did not have metal scaffolding. Those ramps were originally built by the sweat of countless men. The first Stone Henge was art. Its successors are cheap copies.

Utilizing past knowledge is valuable, but it is not art.

I say once again, Great business is art.

sorry for the babble.
John

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