On art

[alexmegami]

Once upon a time, I had an OAC Philosophy class with Mr. Peglar.

I don't remember the argument I had with him, exactly. It was the aesthetics unit, I do remember that. I don't remember what prompted it, or how it went, or really anything about it except this:

That I posited an invention in which a machine could take the ideas in your mind and produce them onto paper or into sound or into art. The images you saw could be made real without you having to ever pick up a pencil, the words would flow the way they do in your head.

Science fiction tells me that if such a thing came into existence, a large subset of artists would scorn it. It takes no effort - it isn't real art. And you know, maybe they'd be right.

But at least I wouldn't be trapped with these ideas in my head that never turn out right. I think that'd be enough for me.

Comments

[sparrow-wings.livejournal.com]

I would give both my firstborn and my immortal soul for that device. I don't care so much about committing real art--well, okay, maybe I do--but mostly, I just want to read the story/see the picture.

[alexmegami]

I'm not planning on any firstborns (maybe I could have one for the occasion?), but definitely my immortal soul.

[sparrow-wings.livejournal.com]

Maybe we could promise our firstborns and then never, um, deliver...

[alexmegami]

*polishes up an Internets for you* Win.

[alexmegami]

Actually, can I Metaquotes that? :D

[sparrow-wings.livejournal.com]

Sure!

[dr-a-nightfall.livejournal.com]

Isn't that the plot of Reaper? Or at least part of it?

[sasuran.livejournal.com]

I iamgine a lot of artists would go for that, actually; look at how popular computer-aided design has become, and that, already, has removed a lot of the work from art.

On the other hand, pictures in your head aren't actually fully formed (or maybe they are, and just not for me! XD ) - for instance, if you try to 'zoom in' on an image you can imagine, it's often lacking in actual detail, which is what makes it hard to draw in the first place. :S

[kisekinotenshi.livejournal.com]

I would pay for that, but only for my own enjoyment. I spend a lot of money on commissions of my original characters because I have absolutely no drawing skills whatsoever (stick figures are challenging because I honestly can't draw a straight line with a ruler), and that would save me from having to do that. I would only use it for pictures, though.

[quatch.livejournal.com]

Sort of like cameras make painting obsolete? /sarcasm

Even if you have a machine to do the raw creation, knowing how to work that machine, and how to best show the theme is still the artistic process.

[alexmegami]

Well, no. Not at all like that, really, because the machine could make pretty much anything, whether it looked real or not. :P

And I was thinking of a pretty literal plug-and-play machine.

How best to show the theme might matter for written works more, I think, but might matter also for larger pictorial works. Not so much for things like character sketches. :P

Basically, it wouldn't give artistic talent, no. But it would remove the technical, hand-eye coordination problems. :P

[okelay.livejournal.com]

Funny, I've often wished I had that machine
or simply a power that you can take a blank canvas or a piece of paper and what you're thinking about just materializes. it would be LEGENDARY

[alexmegami]

Yeah, that would be awesome cool magic.