Is art a moral issue?

Featured image: Improve I

Does art need to be governed, controlled or constrained?

This question is like asking if our spirits, our souls and our passions need to be governed, controlled or constrained?

This question is a hard question to answer when you add the concept of freedom to the mix.

My rule of thumbs is that our souls, spirits and passions are ours and ours alone. They make us the unique individuals that we are. They give us our authenticity.

Although I agree with this, I can also say that I have noticed that sometimes our spirits, souls and passions seem to want to run wild. That is ok when it comes to self and art, but, because the passions of people many times do not want to play nicely and fairly with others, they become selfish and unreasonable.

The degree of constraint and the amount of constraint is where it gets confusing. Many artists want very little constraint and confuse it with freedom, rights, their visions and their ability to visually speak. To constrain vision, I believe like others, would be tragic. So where does vision run into problems and constraints? When it becomes a moral issue.

Moral issues are linked to good and bad and right and wrong. Visions aren’t moral issues. Visions are subjective. Moral issues are also subjective but are mostly based on values. Art isn’t a moral issue. Art is subjective. Art needs vision. Art is not based on values. If it is then there is no freedom in the work, no self and no authenticity in the work.

Continued #133 – Values and Principles in Art.