Which of these would be the greater work of art:
(1) A masterful, artistically brilliant, iconic photograph or painting, or
(2) A movie that was mostly utter crap but that had at least one frame which, as an isolated image, would fall under category (1)?
The first, definitely. Very few people would even notice a single frame in such a movie, and the context hurts it.
The second one because it has everything the first one has and then some.
It’s just like asking. . .what would you rather eat, a turkey, or a turkey stuffed with candy? The one with candy, of course.
Unquestionably the first. A piece of art should stand by itself as a whole. Anything detracting for this dilutes its impact. A still image within the context of a 90-minute movie is so incredibly diluted compared with an artistic print which forces your focus on it. (If that all makes any sense.)
Or, since I think in terms of photography, take two photographs: one cropped to produce an iconic image, and the second uncropped with a lot of extraneous (and perhaps even distracting) detail. Now the second photograph contains the first, but the impact of it is diluted due to all the impertinant crap surrounding it. It’s not better. Not at all.
It’s possible for a work to be greater than the sum of its parts. It’s also possible for it to be less. If the movie’s only redeeming feature were that one frame, then I would say that it is the inferior piece of art.
Um…nooooooo. I’d rather have the turkey and have the candy later. I say the first because it stands on it’s own.
If I judge the movie as a whole, it’s a failure, only partly redeemed by its one, good moment.
It’s just like asking. . .what would you rather eat, a spoiled turkey, or a spoiled turkey stuffed with candy? What does it matter when either one is going to make me sick?
Part of artistry is knowing what to leave out. Would you rather have the Mona Lisa, or the Mona Lisa with a mustache? A single pearl is nicer than a similar pearl dipped in pigeon poop.
Ok, let me put it a different way. . .
Would you rather have a steak. . .or a steak coated with fosting?
Clearly, the one with frosting. You get frosting AND steak. Come on.
Ah, but frosting and steak are both GOOD things. A more apt analogy would be:
Would rather have a steak…or a steak coated with shit?