Pollock and fractals

["John Klassen" <jaklassen2001@zzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Artisti and all,

What I was trying to get at  is: If fractals are the seemingly random
strokes of the artist that have a pattern or meaning unbeknownst to all but
the artist.  And we are viewing a work produced for an artist by an artisan,
aren't we actually viewing the fractals of the hands-on carver and not the
artist?  Doesn't the act of polishing remove the evidence of these fractals?

Anyone who has worked a stone can agree that even with a model there are
decisions to be made all the way throughout the carving process.  If the
artist is not there to make these decisions,then,what we are seeing is the
stoneworkers process of imitation and compromise. A chip here, make it
disappear, Not enough stone over here, alter it a bit.  I'm not trying to
put the hands-on carver down, but the reality of it is,that,this is what
happens. In the end,the artist has to either take it and sign it as his or
leave it.

In the same thought process.  About 6 years ago I was doing the metal for a
reception desk for a Law Firm in New York City.  There was a Marble portion,
a metal portion, glass and wood.  A hell of a job.  Each supplier was given
the same prints to work from.  The marble portion was 16ft long x 3ft high x
4ft wide. Carved from a solid block in Italy.  After all the work from all
the suppliers was shipped to New York for assembly it turned out that the
marble was not to the dimensions specified.  Time for compromise.  What's
cheaper,to ship the marble block back to Italy or remake everything else?
Guess who got paid to do the metal over again.  I sure wish I had a picture
of that one.  Fact is,I never left Toronto.  Made the metal to the drawing
and shipped it.

Idealistically, a master of any medium should be able to push the boundaries
of his or her medium to the limits without compromise, getting exactly what
they thought of every time.  Realistically, the artistic process in one of
discovery.

Cheers

John