There's some Dali quote out there where he says he is not that technically skilled as an artist, and if you look up close at some of his paintings in person, you can kinda see what he's getting at. He is no slouch by any means but he is definitely no Sargent or Vermeer. I think a lot of people who aren't really into art assume greatness=technical prowress, in particular those quick to poo poo modern art, but (speaking for myself at least) those who are in the art world are more concerned with the novelty and innovation of ideas (given some baseline level of craftsmanship, of course).
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for people who can paint hyperrealistically, because I know and understand and appreciate the amount of work that goes into that level of mastery. But at the end of the day, I'm going to be far more impressed by an artist like Riusuke Fukahori who took that skill set and used it to create a new and novel sculptural technique. That's technical mastery combined with creative genius. That's great art.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for people who can paint hyperrealistically, because I know and understand and appreciate the amount of work that goes into that level of mastery. But at the end of the day, I'm going to be far more impressed by an artist like Riusuke Fukahori who took that skill set and used it to create a new and novel sculptural technique. That's technical mastery combined with creative genius. That's great art.