Seminal

Creative. Having the power to originate. Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development.Quote: " Q. 'You hate the language that's used to describe art. What's wrong with words like masterpiece, seminal and genius? Lee Krasner: 'Seminal, an adjective for semen, is completely overused to describe creative achievement and originality. Yuk. Just thinking about it brings a bad taste to my mouth.' Tina Modotti: 'Next time anyone feels the urge to use the word seminal, try germinal instead.' " Lee Krasner was an American painter (1911-1984). Tina Modotti was an Italian photographer (1896-1942). The people quoted here are not those artists, but are instead members of the Guerrilla Girls (American, a contemporary feminist group founded in 1985), who use the names of dead women artists when interviewed. From an interview in Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls, 1995. See achievement, genius, and masterpiece.