Striking a Chord

I got an opportunity to do something I have not done in a while and wandered through a museum. In this case, it was the Museum of Glass located a hop, skip, and jump down the road and nearly vacant on President's Day. For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by glass objects with a special affinity for colored glass (yes, yes, blue glass). The museum had a couple of different exhibits, but the one that I spent the most time at was entitled "Contrasts: A Glass Primer." This exhibit focused on different words you could use to describe works rather than saying "I like it," "I don't like it," or "I don't get it." One of my favorite contrasts, or the one that provoked the most thought for me was the one comparing fact versus fiction. Here's the blurb they had about fiction:

Sometimes a dragon may be preferable to a squid, as a novel may be preferable to a textbook. A fondness for fiction may depend upon a desire for delight rather than information, an inherently poetic rather than scientific disposition, or a mood that favors imagination over reality.

This just perfectly described why I tend to read fiction rather than fact when I read for pleasure. I read to escape, plain and simple. My fancy for Harry Potter explained wonderfully.

One of the other contrasts I found particularly thought provoking was the one comparing science and art. The placard they had posted for this contrast asked, "Can there be great craft without artistry and great art without craftmanship?"

It sounds like the prompt for an essay question that I'd like to read the responses to. In my opinion, the two go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. I think so many of the great masters have demonstrated that, and the reason they have done great things is their ability to tie together two seemingly unrelated ideas in their respective fields such as art and science.