George Kubler

In George Kubler’s writing, I thought the section where he talked about Talent and Genius was the most interesting. He believes that talented individuals begin their craft earlier, master it more quickly, and come up with more fluent ideas than those who are untalented. He also brings up how people find “hidden talents” later in life, and can pick up a talent that they’ve always had but were left undiscovered. He brings up a list of talented artists, Leonardo, Raphael, Bernardino Luini and Giulio Romano. All of these artists were talented, however, two are much better known than the others—as a result of the timing and environment of when they flourished. In order to be a great artist, you need a combination of natural talent, early detection of that talent, and perfect circumstances.

This point struck me as unfair, because what about today’s artists? I have a friend who is an incredibly talented artist, is studying in the University of Michigan art program, but probably will never be considered a great artist like Leonardo or Raphael. Because in today’s world, artists go completely unrecognized and are under appreciated. In order to know a current artist, you need to be completely absorbed in art. I am not an artist, or an art junkie, but have heard of artists like Claude Monet, Renoir, Leonardo and Raphael—but have not heard of an artist that exists currently or even existed recently.