Some Thoughts on
Art and Classifications
At PaperMatch we are unembarrassed to say that we view ourselves as a topic
based art site. Here's what that amounts to:
Different People Are Interested in Different Things
Some people like emus, and some like ostriches. Some get a kick out of mushrooms. And,
some even try understand mushroom-eating ostriches.
At PaperMatch we have antique prints about lots of different things.
People See the World Through Their Own Interests
Everything connects up in one way or another. People discover the world by discovering
a small part of it. And it leads them every which way.
At PaperMatch we want to help you work with your interests.
People Divide Up the World in Ways that Work
People divide up the world in ways that work for them. So in Ibn Qutayba's (829-89)
classic of Islam, Kitab 'Uyun al-Akhbar (The Book of the Best Traditions), the
divisions that seemed to work were powers, war, nobility, character, learning,
asceticism, friendship, prayers, food, and women.
For Pliny the Elder, oddities, freaks, and women belong in the same
classification.
And for Yahoo! the world is divided up in a certain way also.
At PaperMatch, our divisions are ones that reflect the interests of our customers. But
sometimes you have to link across divisions. Does one of Aesop's animals belong with the Kids Pix or with other animals? We don't
know. Luckily, the Web doesn't force us into rigid patterns.
Traditional Art Distinctions Don't (Unfailingly) Reflect People's Interests or the
Ways They Divide Up the World
There are many ways to divide up the world. But the traditional art world divides
matters up in a way that isn't of much use to most of the rest of us. Ditto for the
antiquarian book world. Those two worlds let you be interested in, say, 18th
century steel engravings. And, those two worlds let you collect children's books or
medieval manuscripts.
But if you just like dogs, well, it doesn't really encourage you to be interested in
dogs. Not that there aren't some great dogs in works of art. Just that the art isn't about
the dogs. So, you've got to be interested in art. But for many a dog lover, the art only
becomes interesting when it's about dogs.
At PaperMatch we're topic based.
Like Minded People Form Communities Based on Their Interests
The Web is one giant experiment in community building. People are suddenly finding that
they share interests with others whom they never even knew existed. So, some people love
dogs and some love cats. But the Web puts together communities of cat lovers who have
dogs, and dog lovers who have cats.
PaperMatch has as one of its goals the ability to match old prints to new emerging
communities.
We Work Out our Ideas
At PaperMatch, we try to make sense of this idea that old art can be beautiful and
meaningful when it surrounds and informs particular topics. That's what
PaperPast/PaperPresent is all about. And that's what our companion site Possum Network works out in some detail.
We Try to Give People Choices
At PaperMatch we also try to give people choices. We try to let people follow their own
interests. We provide some of that paper past, some of that old beauty to help them here
and now today. And, we try to ease them out of classifications they may be uncomfortable
with. Getting married (or maybe again?) and don't see the world divided into a china
pattern, crystal pattern, and silver pattern? Check out our Paper
Registry.
So that's the story. Interesting (and oh yes, beautiful) old stuff geared to
your interests, not those of the art world.
