Response to Fay's question on Plato 9/25/09

In response to Fay's question; could the artist possibly be more virtuous than the craftsman? I have to say that I agree. The craftsman intends to build an object for practical usage. However, the craftsman often does not intend the object to aesthetically appeal to the observer. That leaves the object as simply just an object. The object turns into a work of art when it evokes some emotion within the viewer. That most often happens in the case of the artist and not the craftsman. Therefore, the artist can very well be more virtuous than the craftsman. For example, when people go shopping for something they will most likely buy an object for its aesthetic qualities in addition to its craftsmanship. An antique desk with no intricate carvings is less appealing than an antique desk with intricate carvings. Craftsmen give artists the blank canvases to use to create art. Until the artist makes an object evoke emotion, the object is not a work of art. A work of art may be imitative of an original form, but the emotion behind it is totally different from the original. This makes the imitation a completely different thing within itself. The raw emotion behind a work of art is due to the artist, therefore the majority of virtue lies with the artist and not the craftsman.