Yes, Cheerskep is no Platonist. Who is these days? Regarding achievement, in the arts it is often measured by influence. This is particularly true in the field of art history, beginning with the earliest art scholars in the 17C who traced the evolution of style through the works of artists by means of the influence they absorbed from other art and artists and then, adding their own imprint, passed on to others. Even now, influence is still king but it has changed from primarily stylistic or formal aspects to wider social and patronage (read money) aspects. People like Chuck Close and Jasper Johns have had enormous influence on other artists in both formal and social ways. Their work is easily assimilated and imitated, and yet can offer divergent paths to explore and they have been enormously successful with patronage. One can't compare this sort of art historical influence with Sandek's notable influence in a far smaller arena, one affected by social limits (children and age values) that don't affect art.
Some will say, correctly, I think, that the several centuries of measuring artistic value in terms of its influence is passing away with the ever expanding globalization of art practices, the plethora of styles, formal concerns, and societal complexities, to say nothing of the increasingly anarchistic power of the world mega-rich who adorn themselves with the price tags of their art collections. This is a period of vast transition all around the globe and we can expect to see its varieties, paradoxes, and frenzy reflected in the art being made. With art history, all bets are off. And the genealogy of art history is quaintly out of date, something to be wistful about, like faded photos of long gone great grandparents. Nobody knows what takes its place. Right now it's money, a gambler's enticement. WC --- On Fri, 9/12/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: "What IS xxx?" "IS xxx a yyy?" > To: [email protected] > Date: Friday, September 12, 2008, 12:58 PM > In a message dated 9/12/08 1:31:47 PM, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > only the obsessive mind of Cheerskep would find Sendak > nourishing > > the Platonic forms of "illustrator" or > "artist". > > > I don't know why I smile when I read a line like that. > It's the kind of smile > one has as he shrugs and says, "Whaddya gonna do with > a case like this?" You > gotta turn off the loud music when you read these postings, > Chris: I'm the > LAST guy on this forum who'd ever talk about Platonic > forms that way. > > > > > > ************** > Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion > blog, > plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at > StyleList.com. > > (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
