Faldoni, parts 2444 - 2447

 2444. This is why the pinnacle of fame is so precarious. Since an artist’s fame can never be based on any kind of objective criterion, only the shifting sands of taste determine how a thing is viewed at any given time. But, all of that you know full well, and even if you do not know it about the profession of painting, you certainly know about it in your own chosen field.

 2445. Whatever it is you do, you are well aware that in your field there are frauds who hold sway and command respect, and great minds who are being not only ignored but positively abused. “But,” you say, “what about chemistry, and what about botany, and the other sciences?” Well, that just goes to show that you are neither a chemist nor a botanist.

 2446. But the novices and beginners always hold on to the notion of the better and the best, and hope to search out their new field of interest and find out who holds the most exalted position. So it was with Faldoni. The reason he thought some paintings would be considered great, and others not so good was because he was young.

2447. God willing he will live to a ripe old age, and then, from a lifetime of  contradictory experiences he will laugh at the greatness of Michelangelo and heap scorn on works of Raphael, while at the same time extolling the virtues of the drawings  of the neighborhood idiot.