Art Morality And Reality Critical example essay topic

Art morality and reality is a subject that is touched upon by many people, from different backgrounds, and cultures. Art in itself is hard to explain and give a clear cut definition to, there have been many lines drawn as to what is and what isn't art. Quote " What constitutes good art and bad art, and how different individual's opinions can in effect erase the importance of the dictionary definition of art. Especially when art is under so much scrutiny as to discover its meaning and origins, why it was created, and what the message trying to be conveyed really is. From a religious point of view, art is something that glorifies God, and makes people more aware of the goodness and powerful loving nature of God.

To these religious types, art is simply a means of expressing God and spreading the news, nothing else. and these works of art are 'true' art because of the substance they contain and the pure love beauty and truth that form the lifeblood of the art work itself, no matter which form it takes, sculpture, poems, songs, pictures ect. It is likened to a poet writing a technically perfect prose but not meaning a single word he has written, this makes the art work false. Quote "Superficiality in art is the beginning of falsity; and all falsity is fundamentally ugly. When the poet deeply feels and understands what he is trying to represent it becomes beautiful. Beauty thus conceived is fundamentally moral. If it is not moral, it is not true beauty, and any part that is not moral will likewise not be beautiful".

Here is an example of how an individuals opinion of art and what it really is, can be so different from others opinions and can create friction. The boundaries in art in relation to morality and reality shift and change so dramatically that the ideals one holds on to can be worthless to another and prove irrelevant in the argument of what art 'can' and 'should' consist of... There cannot be one standard for what is acceptable to be art and what is not. If people are to be considered equal in all their differences and diversities then their opinions are to be respected likewise, but having said this, it makes art a touchy subject that has had to be open and free from solid boundaries and lines that restrict movement and creativity. Otherwise it would be closed off to some people who didn't fit the criteria, such as extremists, and minority groups. Then there is the issue not only of what art 'IS' but what can be included IN art, as well as the meaning behind it all.

The issue of nudity has had some controversy because, not only is it considered rude and inappropriate by some, it has been blamed to have lead the way to pornography being accepted in art and resulting in the art becoming evil as it were. Its as though the 'safe' and beautiful nudity has made way for the experiments with These issues that are raised due to clashes in arts boundaries also have an effect on society, if the art world, which contains much of the public entertainment scene, is tampered with and allows such morally wrong substances into it, then this in turn will give society the idea that such things are ok. Gradually over time this can make 'bad' things 'ok' and it continues until the whole of our society is living in filth. Art certainly has a much greater effect than its given credit. More questions are raised by art than are answered, and these questions are not all about the art work in question.

It's more to do with what can and cannot be art, how and where we ought to draw the line between art and crap and what's beautiful and what is not. If art is really meant to be an enjoyable pastime and means of personal expression, coupled with communication. Then as a society we have lost that view and have turned on art and deformed it into a monstrosity that does more harm and causes more conflict than good.

Bibliography

Fr. Giles O.F.M. (c) 1999 by Aesthetic Realism Foundation (c) 2001 Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University.
All Rights Reserved. web Art in Society / Lund Humphries publishers London 1975 Ken Baynes Terry Barrett's Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary, Mountain View, CA: , 1994.