What struck me about the images that Derek just posted on Picasaweb -- is that I feel that these, in contrast to the Goya image, have very low aesthetic value.
http://picasaweb.google.com/derekalla/Images3?authkey=t9xxFUEnxZI But how can that be proven to be any more than my own personal, worthless opinion? That's where I believe that the following regimen might produce consistent results with repeated testing: 1.Announce a contest open to all students in either BFA or MFA programs. 2.Offer a $20,000 prize to whomever can best duplicate the qualities (without making an exact copy) which he thinks are important to those who cherish each work: the Goya Old Men, and the African head from the British Museum. 3.Select two juries -- one for those who really like the Goya piece ,and they will judge how well the student work presents the qualities they enjoyed in the Goya. The second jury will do the same thing regarding the African piece. It's my guess that the African jury will be far more satisfied with the student work than the Goya jury -- and if multiple juries produce similar results -- some important conclusions might be drawn: 1. We will be able to distinguish between the difficulty required to achieve positive results in two distinct artistic practices -- giving us a practical definition of "artistic discipline" 2. We might also get a practical definition of "aesthetic quality" - as something that is better or worse, rather just observably different. None of which will disprove that some people really like those African heads -- but that their taste, and that practice, is demonstrably inferior to others. Just think -- for a mere $40,000 so many of our endless arguments here on this listserv can be ended once and for all. _____________________________________________________________ Click to get a free auto insurance quotes from top companies. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2211/fc/Ioyw6ijmNj7N29Q2iwHdM3EOUWngbO DvDFVx1ed5Rxi42hj2HGrGlu/?count=1234567890
