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21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 3. Art as Imitation

[imitation is the essence of works of art]

2 ideas

20423	If graphic arts only aim at imitation, their works are only trivial ingenious toys [Fry]
	Full Idea: If imitation is the sole purpose of the graphic arts, it is surprising that the works of such arts are ever looked upon as more than curiosities, or ingenious toys, and are ever taken seriously by grown-up people.
	From: Roger Fry (An Essay in Aesthetics [1909], p.23)
	A reaction: But then you might say that same about fine wines. A mere nice taste is hardly worthy of grown ups, and yet lots of grown ups feeling quite passionately about it. What about Fabergé eggs?

20428	Popular opinion favours realism, yet most people never look closely at anything! [Fry]
	Full Idea: Ordinary people have almost no idea of what things really look like, so that the one standard that popular criticism applies to painting (whether it is like nature or not) is the one which most people are prevented frm applying properly.
	From: Roger Fry (An Essay in Aesthetics [1909], p.29)
	A reaction: A nice remark, though there is a streak of Bloomsbury artistic snobbery running through Fry. Ordinary people recognise photographic realism, so they can study things closely either in the reality or the picture, should they so choose.