“Response to Plato: Art and Imitation”
...at he is portraying. This concept separates the “good” artists from lesser ones. Knowledge of your subject matter helps connect you to the work. Artists have to fully understand there subject matter visually and physically. To adequately emulate an object you must go deeper than just how it appears. It is not enough to just look at an object and make a replica of it; it goes far deeper than that. It is nearly impossible if not very hard to copy on object without having some background on what its shape, proportions, weight, use and meaning as well as other aspects of the object are. The more knowledge you have on a certain topic the easier it is to replicate an item within the context. This is why many artists go through rigorous classes and training to gain a better understanding of their environment. Books upon books are written to guide artist and better inform them to the qualities of their subject matter. I would even go as far to argue that the craftsman who creates an object is also very much an artist and has to have knowledge of his work. He also had to study all the attributes of his trade. He is an artist within his craft; he is creative and uses techniques to construct a work of art. Isn’t creativity one of the important qualities an artist must have? A craftsman knows the basic or natural form of an object but he puts his own touches and style into creating the object. Just like a painter he immerses some of himself into the work. To make a good product it is not enough to just have a basic idea of what the object looks like. The craftsman or artist must have deeper understanding of their work. Plato describes artists or painters as more of a photographic device, this meaning artist are only responsible for capturing an image as it would be seen. Perhaps a big part of ...