The main focus of the passage is that ................. .

Technology suggests permanent change and improvement. Once a new technique is discovered and
adopted, society does not attempt to revert to the former technique. The automobile displaced the
horse; the electric light replaced silent films; and word processors are rapidly making typewriters
obsolete. This forward march of technology is called progress. In the fine arts such progress does not
exist. The skill of the artist rests upon knowledge and experience, just as the skill of the technician
does. But the creative processes involved seem to be different. Today, for example, one can admire the
design of a Roman chariot, but few people would ever want to depend on it as a regular means of
transportation. By contrast, it is still possible to walk into the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and be
astounded by the magnificence of Michelangelo's frescoes. These paintings have an excellence that
will never become outmoded. A work of art, whether it is a painting by Titian or a concerto by Mozart,
is not a stepping-stone to something else that will someday be considered better. It is not like the
vacuum tube, which served its purpose well enough until the transistor was invented. Each artwork
stands on its own — distinctive for all time. Even poor imitations cannot damage the goodness and
integrity of the original.