If a forgery is indistinguishable (to you) from a masterpiece, is it not (to you) a masterpiece itself?
Sure, experts may find flaws in it, but if you don’t, and if you get the same pleasure from both, what is the difference?
The question assumes that you can consider the question independently from:
1. the absence of honesty,
2. the absence of originality, and
3. the monetary worth (But let’s stipulate it is never sold or even marketed as an original)
The question is whether #1 and #2 can be separated from the enjoyment of the piece.
When the question is put that way, my instinct tells me they can, but my intellect suggests they can’t.
Examples:
I wouldn’t enjoy Beatlemania as much as I’d enjoy the Beatles live;
but I might enjoy a forged Rembrandt as much as I’d enjoy a real one.
The real tragedy here is that aan authentic Jackson Pollack is actually worth more than a fake Jackson Pollack. Why should one meaningless swirl of random paint splotches be more valuable than another?
Capitalism. The market fixes the price of a mutually agreeable transaction. If a random paint splotch by Pollock is more valuable to you than a random paint splotch by a random painter it is.
Tangentially …
I’ve always wondered:
If a forgery is indistinguishable (to you) from a masterpiece, is it not (to you) a masterpiece itself?
Sure, experts may find flaws in it, but if you don’t, and if you get the same pleasure from both, what is the difference?
The question assumes that you can consider the question independently from:
1. the absence of honesty,
2. the absence of originality, and
3. the monetary worth (But let’s stipulate it is never sold or even marketed as an original)
The question is whether #1 and #2 can be separated from the enjoyment of the piece.
When the question is put that way, my instinct tells me they can, but my intellect suggests they can’t.
Examples:
I wouldn’t enjoy Beatlemania as much as I’d enjoy the Beatles live;
but I might enjoy a forged Rembrandt as much as I’d enjoy a real one.
Example 3:
Someone sits you down and asks you to listen to a great jazz performance.
It’s very good.
How much does it matter to your enjoyment of it if it is someone just imitating Louis Armstrong?
I wrestle with this question every time a band I like changes singers
The real tragedy here is that aan authentic Jackson Pollack is actually worth more than a fake Jackson Pollack. Why should one meaningless swirl of random paint splotches be more valuable than another?
Capitalism. The market fixes the price of a mutually agreeable transaction. If a random paint splotch by Pollock is more valuable to you than a random paint splotch by a random painter it is.