Too often I hear freedom being touted as justification for inept
work. True artistic freedom begins with mastery of the Third
Dimension, i.e., spatial depth. Until then, one's direction is
limited by what one can and cannot do, meaning, what one knows how to
do and does not know how to do. That is not freedom. All the
inspiration in the world will not result in quality artwork unless
the inspired person has mastered a means of communicating it
compellingly to others.
What you refer to as realism, I presume is realistic imagery, i.e.
the illusion of three-dimensional depth on a two-dimensional
surface. Mastery of the third-dimension illusion opens up a universe
of possibilities denied those advocates of "freedom" who lack a
thorough understanding of how to do it convincingly. Once one has
mastered the illusion of the third dimension, the desire to restrict
oneself to two dimensions seems to disappear, as it is insufficiently
challenging and too limiting. [And incredibly boring! - Ed.]
