The trouble is that modern art in various ways abandoned imitation, representation, naturalism, and it now has to make out a case for its products’ still being truth. This is where science—certain aspects of science—are seized upon, assimilated, or sometimes simply plagiarized in decorative words, so as to bolster up art’s claim to cognitive value. One such use—and it is a curious reversal of Aristotle—is the boast of factuality: the work of the artist is said to be research; his creations are findings.

—Jacques Barzun, The Use and Abuse of Art (1971)

Maureen Mullarkey expounds on this remarkable idea in one contemporary art exhibit series, WeakForce.