Comments on: “No Masterpiece Was Ever Created By Committee”

By: Peter Friedman

Peter Friedman — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:08:00 +0000

The King James Bible was a translation produced by 47 scholars working together

By: Cultural Suicide: Musings from a Mind with too Little to Do | FlaAuthor's Blog

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:01:22 +0000

[...] brought to fruition by collaboration. The graphic at the top of this post is the result of ‘Creation by Committee’! Me, I’m heading back to My 30-acre [...]

By: c.vales

c.vales — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:59:16 +0000

It’s not entirely individual or group generated. People that make films and plays, may be artists but they collaborate to create the story. One person writes it and everyone interprets it. Visual artists often hang out together sharing techniques and ideas. It really is a community thing. All artists need a community in which to belong. There may be people that are more talented than one another, of course. BUT Bottom line: No artist is an island.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:10:47 +0000

If you read that Jones story to the end he doesn’t diss collaboration per se; his real target is wiki-art, in other words the kind of thing that anyone with an internet connection can contribute to. I can see that while this works for an encyclopedia – collecting, categorizing and linking a set of knowledge – creating an artwork is completely different. Of course artists collaborate all the time, but they limit their groups to experts with specific skills (in camera work, or acting, or book editing to take a few examples).

By: Tanya Paperny

Tanya Paperny — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:45:01 +0000

Okay, just because you don’t work by committee doesn’t mean you work in a vacuum.

Good writing is writing that has passed through the fine comb of a good editor, has been read out loud to a close friend or lover, and has stood the test of time measured in increments of telling your friends about it and seeing whether or not they still find it interesting.

By: JK Evanczuk

JK Evanczuk — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:30:01 +0000

I agree about the benefits of working with others vs too many cooks–I suppose crowdsourced work would be more successful if it found a balance between those two points.

By: Jeremy Russell

Jeremy Russell — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:18:10 +0000

The counterpoint to Jones quote is a line from Jacques Barzun, who pointed out in From Dawn to Decadence that there are few examples of artists who worked in isolation and created better art because of it.

Creative expression benefits from exchange with others, and can rarely be completed without assistance and encouragement. (Although too many cooks can spoil the soup, too.)

By: Cait

Cait — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:31:24 +0000

I guess you could say it was a committee who selected the standard books of the bible. Regardless of what you believe, you have to acknowledge the staying power of that book.

By: salexa

salexa — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:19:37 +0000

no film director works alone!