Updates, updates, updates... Probably nobody read this, but it seems to work as a reminder. Most people as the title goes should know this if studied advertising, graphic design, or art.
"What you know is what you see" This is something my teacher at Digital media used to tell us when talking about information theory, beyond all the math and logarithmic functions you find in measuring information, what you actually perceived or process is whatever is determined to be in your symbolic universe or imaginary.
To put it simple, this means when you process information your recorded transmission will be triggered by elements in common to your sociological and personal context, things like memories, knowledge, customs of your society itself (family, neighborhood, city, country, etc) something semiotics for years have been trying to tell us.
Why am I talking about this? Fair and simple, because art doesn't exist! HEGEL WAS WRONG! When you see a picture of a naked woman, some guy who studied art will check the style, strokes, color balance, proportions, etc... his friend: the size of the crack, the friend of the friend, how it reminds him of his mother due to her hair, and we can go on and on with this.
If all we see is a subject to our knowledge, our mental machination. The world is just reduced into a nihilistic misconception of perceptions established by a social construct, even math is, it's the only language that uses abstracts of absolute valor.
Meaning what? Meaning that this universe is not deterministic and you can even sell a picture of your butt if you need money... hell, What do you think porn is anyway? Exactly!
So why do we bother into calling art something that's just a perception of a misconception? Because we want attention obviously to devoid us of the vast emptiness existence is... others drink beer, I like doing mathematical operations on my free times (even if I do it for work sometimes) so I see the mathematical dimensions of this world and choose to see the world with that scope.
Now, Which scope did you choose?
You're so right. I agree with that most art is just either an unrealized copy of other art or "inspired" by what you remember seeing in the past.
Also, I realize this is something of a late reply, I always see your amazing sculpts in the 3D Artists group gallery but I hardly ever visit your profile. Seems like I should do that more often.