For millennia, artists have poured their souls into their work, fashioning incredible (or sometimes atrocious) pieces that leave the audience stunned and breathless.
However, art has more function than mere visual appeal. It is a powerful mechanism for communication; as an outlet for human expression, its impact manifested before humans could even read or write. Art has been used to create messages that transcend language barriers and has often acted as a spark for meaningful conversations about the world we live in.
The 1907 photograph entitled “The Steering,” by famous photographer Alfred Stieglitz, shined a new light on the lives of the immigrants headed for Ellis Island, generating conversation about the treatment of the poor immigrants, while also creating a geometrically stunning artwork. The famous “Rosie the Riveter,” now a staple of pop culture and the face of women empowerment, was a call to action that represented women as strong and capable citizens and patriots.
However, communication through art is a double-edged sword.
Art can often provoke controversy, its message creating discomfort and shock for many who demand it be hidden away or destroyed. “La Déjeuner en fourrure,” an assemblage sculpture created by Méret Oppenheim in 1936, was so scandalous and sexual to some that a woman fainted when it was first introduced in Paris.
A more recent example of art’s controversy is a Balthus creation: “Thérèse Dreaming.” Mia Murrell, a 30-year-old New Yorker, started a petition against the painting, when she saw it during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
She condemned the painting as a sexual romanticization of children and an expression of pedophilia, saying:
The 80-year-old painting shows a 12-year-old girl leaning back with her leg up, revealing her underwear. Murrell’s petition, asking for the removal (but not destruction) of the painting gathered almost 10,000 signatures in less than a week.
Despite the wide support of the petition, the Met refused to remove “Thérèse Dreaming,” saying that the painting is a representation of many periods, not necessarily the one we live in.
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s mission is to…’collect, study, conserve and present significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge and ideas,'” said the Met’s chief communications officer, Ken Weine.
The recent case reveals an underlying struggle between the audience and the artist.
Should artists be able to portray their crafts, even if some find it offensive? I believe that they should. Art has the unique ability to both unite and divide, to create a conversation without a single word exchanged. Balthus’ art has a similar impact.
As New Yorker’s Judith Thurman writes, “You owe it to the art to examine the nuances of your discomfort. That’s where his genius lies.”
The value of art lies in more than its surface appearance. Even if the audience doesn’t share them, art expresses opinions and gives insight into another side of the argument, allowing us to look into ourselves and judge the legitimacy of our beliefs. It serves as a reflection of the artist, as well as his/her society, and ultimately, leads to a reflection of ourselves. The capacity to represent unique beliefs is unbounded: it presents vast and subtle differences that result from the cultural gap in miles, decades and even among individuals.
Paintings will always represent a new perspective, even if that perspective isn’t appreciated by all. When Edouard Manet revealed “Olympia” in 1885, viewers were horrified by the naked woman and her confrontational gaze; it was called “immoral” and “vulgar,” and critics and laymen alike demanded its destruction. Today, the painting is hailed as an artistic masterpiece, on display at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
Artwork should not be censored, simply because it offends a select few. It is perhaps those controversial artworks that are most valuable. As Yoko Ono once said, “Controversy is part of the nature of art and creativity. If people are not doing that, they’re not artists — they’re artesans.”
Image Courtesy of Frieze.com
