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This thread is digging up some exellent points about art and it's place in our society. I've had this thought in my head since I started reading through the posts and I don't know if I can express it properly, but here goes: (art majors and others who know more about this subject please correct as necessary)
Art in human history has until recently (last 200-400 years?)been mostly representational, expressing ideas about religion (lots of this sort), our relationship to the world around us (early cave paintings), or used as a record of sorts - portraiture of roryalty & such.
It seems that as our societies become more advanced, art has become used more as an outlet or tool for social and political criticism.
Is that a good thing? Is it a perversion of art to be used this way, or is art an all-encompassing medium of expression which has no intrinsic values or limitations save those of the artist?
Is it perhaps a sign of a sickened culture that morals and ethics have to be challenged or taught through art because of the lack of other venues?
p.s. to Mel,
Hello there and thanks for the welcome! It's been a long while since I've been posting, but I think I'll be around a bit more. Glad to see you here and still active.
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