The quote really made me reconsider whether art and science are of the same ilk, but it does provide some insight into what it is about something that human produce that is of value. It may be that the greatest artists that we don't know of simply didn't need or want the recognition because they did what they did out of love and passion (and not money).
This is such a moving story, and that you have continued the tradition adds a bright note to what many lament as the death of traditional folk art :)
You said "...reconsider whether art and science are of the same ilk."
So true. Somewhere along the line I read that men and women who excel at math make excellent musicians.
Brunelleschi and DaVinci, among many other "artists," had their feet planted in math and science as well as the visual arts.
The quote has been attributed all over the place. I had always thought it was John Ruskin. In writing this short piece I found it was Louis Nizer, a journalist, who said it.
I have been pondering upon the exact difference between art and science, and have come to the conclusion that it is all but perspectives. People think that the difference is based on the outcome (i.e. what is produced) but I feel like what is produced comes from what is created in the mind, and so this must be closer to where the difference lies. And since we like to see things through a particular lens or perspective in our mind, this is likely to be where the difference comes from.
https://www.kialo.com/the-difference-between-art-and-science-is-perspective-7847/
Interesting link. As for a definition of art? The most important and crucial things, the intangibles that a civilization needs to survive, are all sadly beyond definition. Try to find a roomful of people today that can agree on a definition of art, or justice and morality for that matter. Believing in the heart, mind, and soul of human beings, I would think science proceeds more from the rational, the mind, whereas art proceeds more from the heart and soul of a person. There may be some overlap but that’s my definition, for now.