ROBERT POGSON on wed 17 apr 96
Has anyone criticized Rembrandt because he didn't make his own canvas?
Forming clay is one thing; glazing is another. Both can produce works of art.
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Karl David Knudson on thu 18 apr 96
On Wed, 17 Apr 1996, ROBERT POGSON wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Has anyone criticized Rembrandt because he didn't make his own canvas?
> Forming clay is one thing; glazing is another. Both can produce works of art.
Rembrandt when selling his work was undoubtedly selling his painting and
not the canvas that it was on. I questioned the distinction of how to
define this type of "art" and when does "hobby" become "art" the last
time this thread came across line.
Is it "permissible" to for a person to sell "hobby ware" as their art? I
would honestly have to say yes and no. Yes if the person, like rembrant,
was doing something special enough to sell the piece on the sole basis of
the work that (s)he did on the piece. If the majority of "value" of the
piece is inherent within the store bought piece (ie the form), then I
woudfl be very reluctant to call that person an artist. Much the same as
a paint-by-numbers person is not really a painter.
This idea rapidly expands into a very large question, especially
concerning the notions of what makes an artist's work. Where is the
dividing line? If I design a tea set, and glaze combanations, and then
contract the work out to others, can I still call that work "mine?" If
you vies creation in terms of intellectual property then the 'rights of
ownership' of that work really belong to the person who initially thought
of it. Conversly, if I make vases that look like Bob Turner's, or teapots
that look like Steven Hill's, can I call them mine? Or do I become a sort of
unknown sub-contractor, making and selling someone elses work? What
about glazing a pot with something like "Shaner's Red" or "Coleman Apple
Green"?
Karl in Eugene, OR. Where really big ideas come late at night.
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