Portrait of the Artist as an........
I often post song comments at Radioparadise.com, an awesome web radio station that harkens back to the golden age of FM when DJs actually put some craft and nuance into their playlists. The forum provided for song commentary by listeners is one of my favorite features.
One comment that seems to come up fairly often involves the personality of the artist, i.e., can one appreciate the music if one is aware that the artist was a wifebeater, arsonist, serial killer, or mere all around jerk? I'm aware that many will boycott an artist's work with such knowledge. My mother refused to watch a certain actor's films upon learning that he had left his wife to marry someone much younger.
I've always been able to separate the artist from the art. To me, the art itself takes on its own identity, even if (of course) the art is unavoidably infused with what made the artist unique. I'm sure that much of the music, printed matter, and film I've admired has been produced by hissable individuals. The argument comes in the form of: "how can you endorse a man who subsidized genocide" or "....married his cousin" or any number of dispicable acts. As if my purchasing or spending time with the art somehow portrays me as concurring with the artist's lifestyle. No, not at all. The art is released from the creator, and it breathes on its own.
Would I purchase a painting that took my breath away if I learned it was born of the palette of one A. Hitler? His being the artist alone would not influence me either way, and I know that would horrify some people. I recall film director John Waters getting some flack once for his purchases of paintings by Ed Gein, the serial murderer upon whom Psycho was based. If I bought something created by a monster, would my money somehow be funneled to further some heinous cause? Food for thought. We don't really know where any of our entertainment dollar goes; I've yet to peruse an itemized breakdown.
My take is that if you only allowed yourself to enjoy the work of artists who are decent folks, you wouldn't have much with which to amuse yourself. Sometimes ignorance most certainly is bliss.
Honestly, I don't care what the artist's political persuasion or paradigms are, as far as their work goes. If they are "bad" people in any definition of the term, I'll pray for them.
One comment that seems to come up fairly often involves the personality of the artist, i.e., can one appreciate the music if one is aware that the artist was a wifebeater, arsonist, serial killer, or mere all around jerk? I'm aware that many will boycott an artist's work with such knowledge. My mother refused to watch a certain actor's films upon learning that he had left his wife to marry someone much younger.
I've always been able to separate the artist from the art. To me, the art itself takes on its own identity, even if (of course) the art is unavoidably infused with what made the artist unique. I'm sure that much of the music, printed matter, and film I've admired has been produced by hissable individuals. The argument comes in the form of: "how can you endorse a man who subsidized genocide" or "....married his cousin" or any number of dispicable acts. As if my purchasing or spending time with the art somehow portrays me as concurring with the artist's lifestyle. No, not at all. The art is released from the creator, and it breathes on its own.
Would I purchase a painting that took my breath away if I learned it was born of the palette of one A. Hitler? His being the artist alone would not influence me either way, and I know that would horrify some people. I recall film director John Waters getting some flack once for his purchases of paintings by Ed Gein, the serial murderer upon whom Psycho was based. If I bought something created by a monster, would my money somehow be funneled to further some heinous cause? Food for thought. We don't really know where any of our entertainment dollar goes; I've yet to peruse an itemized breakdown.
My take is that if you only allowed yourself to enjoy the work of artists who are decent folks, you wouldn't have much with which to amuse yourself. Sometimes ignorance most certainly is bliss.
Honestly, I don't care what the artist's political persuasion or paradigms are, as far as their work goes. If they are "bad" people in any definition of the term, I'll pray for them.
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