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How do we separate the artist from the art? Is the art more important than that of the moral values of the artist? The classic case of whether to choose the artist or the art they make. Unfortunately, there are countless examples of artists performing wrongful acts. One such example is Casey Affleck who won an Oscar for the best actor despite the allegations of sexual harassment directed at him. His win was due to his role in Manchester By The Sea where he showed his remarkable acting skills. Casey Affleck was accused of sexual harassment on the set of the 2010 film I’m Still Here (Sharf, 2018). This created a controversy wherein he was awarded an Oscar in spite of these sexual allegations.
The art in and of itself is a completely different entity from the artist and therefore should be viewed on its own. A work of art is an already completed work process by the artist, which can and should be viewed separately from the artist (Ibrahim, 2018). If the artist were to commit such unreasonable acts and be punished, that would be adequate. But if the art was taken down because of the acts committed by the artist, it would be unfair to the art. The reason why we think art should be separated from the artist is the idea that the punishment is not fair from the perspective of the art. We also disagree with the fact of the knowledge that when a killing artist or a bad person who calls himself an artist has painted something that we liked before but we now do not like and do not want to look at or support anymore, it is completely barbarous. Art should stand alone and be viewed as art, not as art created by a criminal or a sexual offender. The artist will get the proper criminal punishment anyways, therefore the art should not be affected by the acts of the maker. Think of it as a successful President who lifted up an entire economy but he committed a criminal act. Would you rescind all the laws he has implemented? Would you demolish all the infrastructures he had helped create during the duration of his term? Of course not, it would be vacuous to think that way. The Great Pyramids were commissioned by slave owners, but built by slaves. Do we then stop promoting these wonders of the world because slavery is wrong, and we want to prove to all of our peers we disagree with slavery too? No. It’s somewhat universal knowledge that slavery is wrong, but it doesn’t mean we have to boycott things to prove it. The work is and should be separated from the maker (Radhakrishnan, 2017).
As aforementioned, the art is separate from the artist and should be viewed differently (Güner, 2017). Artists are people and do not live in a world where their actions are judged in the same way art is. Unlike art, people constantly face the consequences of their actions. Art does not. Art is just art. Your opinions of the artist should not affect your views of the art. Judging an artist’s work through the scope of their actions is a ridiculous notion. View the art, only as the art. Even the artist would think that way because he is proud of his work, and his work should not be bombarded with criticisms against him. The closing of the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Nicholas Nixon photographic exhibition at the artist’s request amidst an investigation into allegations against him is an unfortunate example. “I believe it is impossible for these photographs to be viewed on their own merits any longer.” Started by Nixon himself (Gorel, 2018). As you can see, the artist knew that his art would not be viewed the same way as before which is ill-fated. Furthermore, one could let the project have an effect on oneself again without any prejudices through the biography of the artist and form one’s own intention for it. Everybody should have their own perspective of art and be able to look at it from different angles. One is able to see the art in an objective way and the other to look at it with the knowledge of who created it but never less respect the creation for what it is. For these reasons, we think it is inappropriate to abandon art just because the artist did something wrong. Art resides in a place where people can choose to just focus on the art. This is because art is greater than the artist (Neuendorf, 2017).
Eliminating art is another problem of this dilemma of good art, and bad artists. Simply because the artist is not the only one who benefits from the art. Exhibitions, museums, and the general public are the ones who benefit. They benefit not only in the financial part but they also benefit both intellectually and mentally. So, what if you were to purge the art, music, television, and movie industries of works by criminals? Would that be plausible? Art contributes to various cultures and communities. In language and history classes, studying art is a large part of history. Similarly, in history, artists are important in changing societal norms, and making large changes, sometimes being seen as revolutionaries (Britannica, 2019). If these historical works created by criminals were to be eradicated, there would be a huge hole in our history and what we are today. It is because art changed the course of our history. Take for example Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a sodomite (ARTnews, 2016), widely considered an archetype of the “Renaissance man”, he was a man whose curiosity was equaled only by his intelligence and talent. He was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and writer (Andrei, 2018). Another side of this is, what if the criminal artist is part of a much larger group of artists, who are innocent, and who collaborated in one work? You should not eliminate the art as everyone in the production of the art will be affected, not only the criminal artist.
To conclude, an artist’s personal life should not intertwine with that of their artistic life. Yes, as a human being, Casey Affleck is not good. But that being said, his personal life should not negate his remarkable work as an actor and the roles he played. We certainly do not think that canceling or removing projects is a viable punishment for these criminals. We cannot censor things purely because of their dark past. Yes, we do not and should not idolize these artists in the ways that we once did, but this does not mean that the quality and importance of their work diminish. One can always like the character but does not have to like the actor. We think that art can be separated from the artist, only if the art does not portray any meaning other than the one meant. We believe that the people responsible for their atrocities should without a doubt receive harsh punishments. However, this does not mean that their work should be shunned or neglected.
Works Cited
- Andrei, M. (2018, March 28). Leonardo da Vinci: inventions and discoveries that changed the world. Retrieved February 2019, from ZMEScience: https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/5-things-leonardo-da-vinci-did-to-change-the-world/
- ARTnews, T. E. (2016, May 5). Theft! Forgery! Murder!: Art History’s Greatest Crimes. Retrieved February 2019, from ARTnews: http://www.artnews.com/2016/05/03/theft-forgery-murder-art-historys-greatest-crimes/
- Britannica, T. E. (2019, January 16). Art History. Retrieved February 2019, from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/art-history
- Güner, F. (2017, June 12). Can you separate the artist from the art? Retrieved February 2019, from BBC: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170517-can-you-separate-the-artist-from-the-art
- Gorel, A. (2018, April 12). ICA Closes Nicholas Nixon Exhibition Amid Allegations Of Misconduct. Retrieved February 2019, from Wbur: https://www.wbur.org/artery/2018/04/12/ica-closes-nicholas-nixon-exhibition
- Ibrahim, A. (2018, January 8). What is Art? Why is Art Important? Retrieved February 2019, from The Artist: https://www.theartist.me/art/what-is-art/
- Neuendorf, H. (2017, January 19). John Armleder on Why Art Is More Important Than Artists. Retrieved February 2019, from Artnet: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-armleder-interview-822530
- Radhakrishnan, S. (2017, December 15). Why art must be separated from the artist. Retrieved February 2019, from Thread: https://www.thehindu.com/thread/arts-culture-society/why-art-must-be-separated-from-the-artist/article21691513.ece
- Sharf, Z. (2018, August 9). Casey Affleck Admits ‘I’m Still Here’ Set Was Unprofessional, Breaks Silence on #MeToo: ‘I Need to Keep My Mouth Shut and Listen’. Retrieved 2019 February, from Indie Wire: https://www.indiewire.com/2018/08/casey-affleck-metoo-lawsuit-interview-oscars-1201992679/
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