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From: pjt@BRL-VOC.ARPA (Paul Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re:  Progress, the Arts, Razor Blades and Bull
Message-ID: <9114@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 11-Mar-85 08:02:50 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.9114
Posted: Mon Mar 11 08:02:50 1985
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This discussion no longer belongs on a music mailing list, but...

Contrary to the implication in your paean to the powers of the XXth Century,
modern science has NOT progressed too far beyond the disintegrating walnut-
paint stage.  Some of the "masterpieces" of Modern Art are in danger of
meeting the same fate as Micky's stuff.  At least one of the wonder media
available to today's painters (namely acrylic paint) is extremely unstable.
Art historians and curators are in a jumbo quandary about preserving these
pieces.  Color photographs, too, it has been learned, are generally very
unstable.  Of course one does have the option today of putting fading glory
under the microdensitometer and digitizing it for video display, but that ain't
exactly 100% faithful to the artists' intentions!

I make no comments about the relative talents or virility of Ugh, Micky,
Pablo P., or anybody else.  But we are still far from Nirvana as far as
physical media are concerned.
	 +++paul