Re: Is it Art?

Posted by ODS on 2008/9/7 8:39:28

Ah the endless debate rages on ;)

I think that the major crux of the argument is what petercotton mentioned -- that Poser images are very much created using other people's models. And I say Poser specifically rather than 3D in general because I've never heard anyone say that something created in Lightwave, etc., isn't art.

The analogy about a traditional artist not creating his own brushes and easels doesn't really work in relation to Poser, though. When I create a piece, its true that I don't make my own pencils. But I have to do everything else. I have to map out the proportions, create the character's underlying structure, create depth and then I have to draw each piece of clothing, each strand of hair... the pencil doesn't do any of that for me, but the majority of Poser users don't do any of that. They click the "add figure" button. Most probably don't even pose the figures themselves, they just click a pose they've downloaded or purchased. Same goes with clothing, face morphs, lighting, sets, etc. If I take a bunch of action figures and arrange them in a playset, have I created art?

Now, to be clear, I'm playing Devil's Advocate. I used to use Poser extensively and while I haven't touched it in almost 2 years, I certainly think Poser can be used to create art. However, I can also see the other side of the argument (and see prime examples every time I visit Renderosity).