Igor stravinsky once said that “a good composer does not imitate; he steals”, and ts eliot once said “immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” even the idea that good art embraces the work of other good artists is not unique or original.
Good art is often a synthesis of thoughts and methodologies that have been poached and recycled from other sources. Very little is entirely new or original, and this understanding is equally true of other aspects of our lives. Ideas are cumulative and depend upon the evolution of techniques, observation and criticism, so it isn’t entirely surprising that inventions and discoveries are often made simultaneously by different people in different locations. It is still a matter of argument, for instance, whether the electric light bulb was invented by Joseph Swan or Thomas Edison, or the telephone by Elisha Gray or Alexander Graham Bell…