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Originally Posted by Honza
Is Art really important or not so much? I get the feeling that Art scares some types of people a great deal. They just don't seem to 'get it' and so it kind of unsettles them. When a country or civilisation starts to crumble and fall it is often Art which suffers first. It starts to be censored and discouraged and manipulated.
Why do some people like powerful leaders fear Art and artists?
Personally I think Art is very important. How do you feel about it?
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Many people view art as the means of immortalizing something pretty. That's one purpose.
Art was also designed as a means to immortalize or convey things that shouldn't be said, won't be said, or can't be said.
For example, a "powerful leader" can lie through his teeth, spewing false claims left, right and center about how "good" he has been to his people, how he has "helped" his country. There are people who will shallow such as if fed from a silver spoon.
However, a single photo [art] can, has and will tear the rug right out from underneath such people's feet. Will knock those sand castle walls into nothing but figments of grandeur.
That is why "powerful leaders" hate / fear art, because someone can so easily use art to reveal what these "leaders" are trying to hide. Can reveal the truth behind the lies.
I am an artist. I use various media [photos, paintings, etc.]. I am also a professional author who has written about things [genocide, governmental corruption, racism, etc.] that the average person would rather sweep under the carpet and forget about.
Pretty art [a nice sunset, some cute bird] is okay. Everyone and their mother does such art so the relevance to life unless a real
jaw-dropper [such as that done by the classical artists, finding anything outstanding among a majority of modern artists is I've found like a needle in a haystack] is actually pretty low. They are, literally, a dime a dozen.
Art used to convey an important message, reveal something that many refuse to acknowledge [such as the slum photo contests around the world done a few years ago], is as important as breathing.