Epistemology passé?

A.K. suggests that “talk of ’real’ vs. ’unreal’, ’legitimate’ vs. ’botched’ is quite a bit passe.”

Naturally the image is what matters, but sometimes one serves as the springboard to discussion of meta-issues. Far from being passé, epistemological issues are central to esthetics. Once you eliminate the naive criteria of the recent past (does the picture or story praise God, does it flatter the donor, is it uplifting, does it advance the party's agenda) most discussions of art turn on points of epistemology.