I think skill is greatly undervalued. Enormous skill is usually evident in great artworks in any medium. Obviously, there are many different kinds of skill. As for Derek's favorite artists to hate, they indeed were skillful, but so was Van Gogh, or Matisse, or thousands of others. Somehow, in the past 100 years (blame Duchamp) skill of whatever type was distinguished from honesty of expression (no one knows what that is but it's broadly assumed) and thus any artist who demonstrates high skill is regarded by some hipsters to be dishonest, inexpressive, and unoriginal, etc. This is a very false distinction/separation. Skill is deeply interwoven with all other (mysterious) features of genuine artworks. Examining it is a good place to start (perhaps the only place to start) in experiencing art.
WC --- Derek Allan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Alexei > > So are you saying that art is nothing but technical > skill of some kind? (My > particular examples are not important. There are > plenty of others.) > > DA
