Picasso may have been and may have admitted to being a formula artist, but then he and we are wrong. His impact on cartooning alone would make him a major innovator in drawing. Western artists just did not use synthetic forms and suggestive substitutions of forms in quite this poetic way until, inspired by african art, and Cezanne, Picasso did. He is great in the plain sense of being greatly influential. There would be no Spongebob Squarepants--how many artists can claim anything like that?

You know, JohnInKansas, the ARC is a commercial for a collector's investments. His degree is, it figures, in Art Ed--the only thing even flakier than a degree in art. Yes, Bougereau's (I'm not mis-spelling it on purpose)figures come to life in a way that touches my heart and makes me feel all spiritual or squishy or something or other. Not really, they're great fun to look at, but completely empty of any poetic content or metaphoric value or any convincing vision of a meaningful future of drawing and painting as high art. I saw this movie Tuck Everlasting with my kids the other day--looked very Bougereau, but the figures came to life and even spoke in a way that makes Bougereau look like CRAP. He's not great because he mined a dead end. A photograph often lacks the playful element of parody and imitation that drawings and paintings have, but in movies the actors help with that. Even William Hurt.

   Maybe this would be a good place to ask what's the point of John Henry? I've always wondered. Are we inspired to bang steel like noble morons til we die instead of letting a steam drill do it, and finding ourselves a better line of work? As an artist it's possible to chisel stone all day and still be lazy. Get out, look around, pay attention, think about what you're doing.

Art is, as the name suggests, artifice. Some stuff wishes it were more interesting than it is and pleads weird spiritual import, quasi-religiousity, and monk-like dedication to high craft values. It often "catches the very soul" of the person depicted--how the hell would anyone know anything like that? I like the plain nuts and bolts, the fun of making fake stuff, the fun of imitation, play, and a even a few games. It's subjective but mostly societal and coherent, like law, or any field that grows.

The art market at that level is about collecting, not art. My kids tore the tags off all their beanie babies. It's a different thing. But Picasso was a terrific artist. Also a good businessman.