Should the Arts be completely free? Discuss this with reference to literature or painting.
Should the Arts be completely free? Discuss this with reference to literature or painting. (50)
The Arts, is known as a form of free expression of one’s thoughts and feelings. They have the ability to be original as it is subjected to the choice of the artist and hence this allows for free expression. Despite having the arts to be liberal in nature, it should not be left to complete freedom due to various reasons. The complete freedom privileged to the practice of the Arts might result in the compromising of ethnics and rights, the exploitation of art forms for personal reasons and also the showing of inappropriate content. Thus, I believe that some form of censorship or restriction should be placed on the arts to ensure their ability to be free and also morally accepted in society.
The arts should not be completely free because, left to its own devices, artists may contravene basic human rights and ethical notions; in other words, freedom bestowed on the arts may open a pandora’s box, unleashing deeds and acts which transgress humanity. The actions of a Yale Art Student, Aliza Shvarts, using the blood from repeated forced abortions, which were in turned preceded by repeated artificial impregnations, to create her artwork are testimony to the dire consequences of giving the arts complete freedom. The Yale student who utilized controversy in 2008 for her senior art project, is a good example of postmodern moral relativism. Moral relativism can be summarized, as “my truth is my truth.” The Yale student’s use of abortion showed no regards for the sanctity of human life. Such moral transgression may be a first step to total moral decay, ills and vices. Critics argued that exposing society to such social ills and vices is like treading a slippery slope, which spirals the whole of society towards social decay and chaos. Thus, the example of Aliza Shvarts can show how the arts can go against ethics and rights and hence requires a form of restriction to be deemed morally acceptable in society.
