Evolution of an Artist

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MickleDesignWerks's avatar
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Pablo Picasso once said "[g]ood artists copy, great artists steal." I was asked what I thought this means
 
I think Picasso's statement is simplistically explaining the evolution of an artist.

An artist's development generally follows this pattern:

1. Emulation - copying others idea/concepts to understand how they accomplished them
2. Transformation - playing experimenting with existing ideas/concepts to test variations
3. Synthesis - taking existing idea/concepts transforming them and combining those transformations into something new
4. Evolution - creating a new style/genre from the synthesis of transformed idea/concepts

I think what Picasso was referring to are those that are stuck at merely emulating, satisfied with just copying an idea/concept,  while others will seek to understand the idea/concept in hopes of developing or creating something greater from it by incorporating the ideas and concepts into their work. It's not enough to just copy, you have to have a deeper understanding to "steal" something. For a great artist "how" isn't good enough, "why" is more important - the mark of a good "thief."
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blueriverdream's avatar
this is an excellent and thoughtful reflection. Thank you for posting! :)