Oct
Some Art Decorates
Posted under Art, |
Some art decorates. Some art questions and provokes thought, some comments on society or simply records one version of history. Art is a means of communicating the values and aspirations not only of the artist behind the individual work but also of the civilization.
In a time of war, artists have an important role in bringing the attention of a society to the questions involving why a war is being fought. There has to be some way to make sense of the purpose behind the war and to expose the political reasons behind that purpose.
In the arts we express our humanity, in art that speaks of war the artist may allow the individual to find some meaning in the inhumanity of humankind. It can be argued that the responsibility of the artist lies in the fact that he has a platform on which to express his beliefs and compose commentary. For the artist will portray the world as it is or perhaps as it could be, by offering us their truth and cultivating a sense of understanding within which we desperately seek to find hope.
Emotions are the very essence that drives creativity and the convictions of many artists drive them to challenge society and question associated values and truths. To this end, art has been a tool for communicating political ideologies and advocating issues as a vehicle for dialogue, education, or action. Often political art strives to promote critical thinking and endeavors to inspire change.
The artist may seek to reorient their audience, and provide a different perspective in which to interpret an experience. The creative imagery found within the artist's reaction to war may be powerful enough to change the viewer's perceptions of a conflict, as the artist often appeals to the public conscience and displays the immorality of the politicians plan. The view published by an artist can sway the public perception of warfare, as was the case with the Vietnam War with journalists and photographers being the real heros of the era.
Unfortunately today it is much less likely that artists could have such influence in either the hostilities in Iraq or in the multitude of conflicts that are defined by the catch phrase "war on terror". Is the artist buried under the veil of patriotism, without a voice to speak in opposition to the supposed struggle against terror, or has the public become deaf to their cries? What image could stand as an icon before our society to confront the public conscience? What symbol is powerful enough to be heard over the din of complacency?
Will there be a form of creative endeavor that can promote collective protest and remind today's politicians of their responsibility to humanity rather than politics or economics? Is the fault that of society's itself, that we have become immune to the realities of a conflict, as the media presents it to us each with their own tainted slant, or have we stopped believing the artists, seeing their views as biased and no more than a personal opinion.
There must to be some way to make sense of the purpose behind the war and to expose the political reasons behind that purpose for I don't believe that there exists art that can find meaning in the inhumanity of humankind.
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