In the previous post, I quote the art reviewer Roberta Smith classifying the glass artist Dale Chihuly as a "lightweight."
Concidentally, there was a fascinating biopic about Chihuly on channel Thirteen last night – "Fire and Light" – that included appearances by a number of art heavyweights, including the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas Hoving.
Hoving is a fan of Chihuly and, after watching the one-hour special, it was hard not to admire the range and depth of Chihuly's work, the prolific output and his dedication to continually pushing the creative envelope.
Watching him at work, it seems clear that Chihuly is relying moment-to-moment on his unique artistic inner voice to guide the creative process and perhaps that is what Smith finds troubling – the premise of his work does not spring from an intellectual construct.
Well, if Chihuly is a lightweight, I'd consider it a compliment to be included in that category.