D&D 5E Opening Page of the PHB

[Dausuul]

Scare quotes are used to signify a word may have it's original intent or meaning in the use to which it is being presented.

In this case I don't think there is an error, many who view the picture don't see an error, the artist and his buddies didn't see an error until Hildebrandt pointed one out to them.

Was Elmore aiming for a stylistic rendering? Obviously not. Did he achieve one? Yes. Is the work diminished? Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Art is subjective, but that doesn't mean there is no such thing as artistic quality and no possibility of making mistakes. I'm not a professional artist, but I am trying to make it as a professional writer, and one thing I can tell you: The dumbest response you can make to a critique of your work is, "Well, it's art. It's all subjective."

You can say: "Well, I see what you're getting at, but I think it's a necessary sacrifice to achieve this other effect." Or: "No, you're wrong, it works like this and here's why." That's fine. You don't have to agree with every criticism, but you do need to be willing to engage criticism and consider it. Saying "It's all subjective" is an excuse to avoid reflecting on what you could be doing better. It's like an unfalsifiable hypothesis in science. It shields you from ever having to improve.

The Palin's Test piece is good, but it has this lighting issue. Some people are bothered by it. Other people aren't. The question is, if the piece had been done with more realistic lighting, how many people would like it less? If the answer is "almost none," and if Elmore himself would like it better that way, then the lighting issue is a mistake. That's how it usually is with artistic mistakes. Some people are bothered by it, some aren't, but in very few cases does the mistake result in someone liking it better than they would have otherwise.

You'll note that when Elmore himself received this criticism, he didn't hide behind saying it was subjective. He realized he'd screwed up and admitted it. And I'll bet the next time he painted a torchlit scene, he got the colors right. That's why he's a good artist.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Scare quotes are used to signify a word may have it's original intent or meaning in the use to which it is being presented.

In this case I don't think there is an error, many who view the picture don't see an error, the artist and his buddies didn't see an error until Hildebrandt pointed one out to them.

Was Elmore aiming for a stylistic rendering? Obviously not. Did he achieve one? Yes. Is the work diminished? Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Just not it's main eye, that one only removes magic from what it perceives...

I know we live in the era of "the death of the artist", but man, you straight murder Elmore when you claim this isn't an error, against his explicit statement that it was. That's harsh.

 

[Nellisir]

Art is subjective, but that doesn't mean there is no such thing as artistic quality and no possibility of making mistakes. I'm not a professional artist, but I am trying to make it as a professional writer, and one thing I can tell you: The dumbest response you can make to a critique of your work is, "Well, it's art. It's all subjective."

You can say: "Well, I see what you're getting at, but I think it's a necessary sacrifice to achieve this other effect." Or: "No, you're wrong, it works like this and here's why." That's fine. You don't have to agree with every criticism, but you do need to be willing to engage criticism and consider it. Saying "It's all subjective" is an excuse to avoid reflecting on what you could be doing better. It's like an unfalsifiable hypothesis in science. It shields you from ever having to improve.

Absolutely. Perspective and colors can be intentionally skewed in paintings to achieve an effect, and the laws of writing can be broken for a reason, but Elmore's mistake was a mistake. Shrugging off all criticism is the best and most effective way I've ever seen to get people to stop caring about what you do.