Example Of Artists’ Societal Role Essay

Society has long attempted to impose itself on art. Many different pieces have been banned, maimed, disfigured or censured. This is due to the belief that art should provide a safe haven for people, being beautiful and only that. Nevertheless, there are other conceptions of art. One could establish art as being of primordial importance with regards to society, offering it a mirror upon which to look at itself. In this sense, an artist should be held responsible for what he or she produces, but only insomuch as he or she is producing society itself.
That artists would be able to do anything they want is somewhat of a fantasy. In fact, artists are deeply engrained in their own culture, so they are restricted with respect to what they do in a structural manner. The objects that are considered art have a contextual definition, being different across cultures. This is due to the fact that, for something to be established as a piece of art, the society has to sanction it as such. Therefore, there are intrinsic restrictions on what an artist can or cannot do: they can only stay within their society.
As such, the uproar with regards to American Psycho should be treated as an inconformity with society itself. There is a lot of violence in the book, yet there are many aggressive episodes in real life as well. People are becoming lonelier, relying more on appearances and getting intimate with each other without really taking the time to get to know the other person, all of which is reflected in the book. Therefore, instead of berating Bret Ellis, people should be thanking him for fulfilling his role of showing this society how horrible it really is.