Carvers vs. sculptors

[Peter Tavernise <petert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I, as well, have been very engaged by the recent
exchanges on this topic.

I submit that what upsets some of us about this issue is
that the stone carvers may not have been simply
craftsmen, but artists in their own right who were
marginalized by class, ethnicity, or simple exclusion
 from the "star" system of critical acclaim and
art-historical biases. It's also a feeling that it's
just not fair to have credit given *solely* to the
artist (designer?) of a work, when the carving was done
by another person (who, in addition, was paid relatively
little for their work).

Economic arguments aside, it would be nice if the artist
and carver were both mentioned--it just seems like it
would be more fair, and also more informative about the
total creative process. It would help to show the very
essential interdependence between artist and carver that
is part of the creative process, as opposed to giving
the impression that the artist carved every single one
of their pieces (which resulted in much disappointment
on my part when I learned the truth). The Fredrick Hart
book I referenced earlier at least shows photos of Hart
working with other carvers, who are named, and his
respect for them comes through. I don't think anyone
wanted to say we should have a world where only
carver/craftspeople are given primacy, just more
recognition of their involvement in the process.

All that said, there will always be a dynamic tension
between artistic vision/creativity and "craftsmanship."
The best artists, to me, have some proportion of both
skills/talents. I don't see it as an either/or, binary
choice of craft mind versus creative mind.

This practice of giving credit where credit is due might
also help dispell the daunting myth of the great
individual artist (Picasso, etc.) in favor of extolling
the collaborative creative process. Japanese swords, for
instance, are produced by artist/craftspeople who excell
in each individual element, from blade, to hilt, to
scabbard--this interdependence is just understood.

Bon weekend, all. Thanks for a welcome and lively forum.
I'm enjoying it and am learning so much.

Peter

__________________________________
Peter Tavernise         DoD#333333
petert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx