Artists have been known to be creative owing to their quest for uniqueness and specialization in a particular field that make them outstanding. For creativity to be at its peak there is a need for freedom of choice to enable artists’, express their utmost feelings. One of the areas that hinder the freedom of an artist is the moral and ethical status of a particular community. Some communities have various codes of conduct that does not require some particular behavior in relation to their environment. Since most of creativity require freedom, it may be difficult for art to thrive in that particular place. This paper analyzes the quote by Albert Camus, "Without freedom, no art; art lives only in the restraints it imposes on itself and dies of all others."
The Quote is important in understanding on aspects that constitute art (Goodreads para 1). From the quote, one can learn that where there is no freedom the art will automatically die due to lack of its ingredients. An individual needs to think freely when creating a new idea or piece of work. According to Theblogatainsworthimages.ainsworthimages.com, art needs freedom as well as discipline, such statement may sound contradictory, but freedom enables an individual to think and explore various fields. Conversely, it is imperative to understand, in this case, that freedom does not mean an absolute freedom because each discipline or field is controlled at some level by its medium. For examples, in music an artist can work with a limited number of notes with unlimited number of compositions from the same notes. One of the attributes that each artist should have to enhance their arts, as well as pieces of works, is discipline. It enables one to think critically about considerations to other external factors without affecting his/her creativity.
The three fundamental features of an art enterprise are that it fosters freedom; it creates objects that command, reward, and sustain contemplation, and it fosters and enlarges the inner life of an individual. All the three feature are what makes art and it is impossible to have any artistic piece of work without them. The connection between art and freedom is made at an excessively culturally sophisticated environment or level. Just like human beings need water, food, and shelter for survival, art or any artistic idea need freedom in order to thrive (Sleinis 5).
Art involves and ethics are related in that the number of activities performed by artists requires some code of conduct as the people involved. Because of the wide range of ideas in relation to art, it should not require any approval since that would affect many areas in relation to the art itself. One of the determinants that make it difficult to combine both art and ethics is because the money and wealth that most people including the artists make hence it makes it easy to trade ethics for fame and creativity. Freedom is one of the ingredients that make an art.
Philosophically, both art and ethics are related in terms of the value theory. Since most philosophers argues that there is need to value both ethics as well as creativity power of an individual. The aesthetic value given by a piece of art is of the same importance as the value found from ethical practices. Considering the value of an art may act as a limiting factor when it comes to creativity but it is important to focus on the moral structure and culture to promote peaceful practices (Hagberg 35). However, this may not allow for the flow of ideas or passing an important theme when it comes to pieces of works, such as films and movies.
Music is an example of art that is meant to break boredom and monotony but in most cases, there are some themes that require ethical approval (Cobussen and Nielsen 7). The future generation should not be victims of circumstances because of limiting the creativity of the people through code of conduct. Important ideas are always created in a free and healthy surrounding. Information regarding a particular time can also be passed to the future generations through creating a piece of work that relates to the time. For example, limiting the politically focused arts may limit the understanding of political situation at that time to the future generation.
According to theoryofknowledge.net, the relationship between ethics and art is mutual since both depend on one another. Art such as music can be used to influence or pass the information that are helpful in shaping the society. Additionally, art can affect an individual or organization behavior as well as opening avenues for new ideas and beliefs. Because of the communication characteristic of the art at a different level, it affects emotion, language, reason, and imagination of an individual. The freedom of art is not that absolute in that there are some limits that might still affect the creativity. Some of the limits are the limitations in the instruments used. For example, the number of tones that an artist can use is limited hence; it may determine the outcome of the art or music.
Politics may also hinder creativity in various ways. For example, the scope of an individual choice or autonomy within the institution of a political party might influence his/her way of thinking. Hence, his/her piece of work (Semonovitch and DeRoo 193). Almost all artists are affiliated with some political groups. The other scenario that politics might affect creativity is when the politicians, as well as the legislators, come up with laws that limit a particular activity. According to Hoffman, the existing cultural laws control many art works (25). Changes in modernity and postmodernity have had a major impact on art due to changes in technology as well as human demand (Smith, Enwezor and Condee 2). Most arts work are more or less intelligible and give pleasure that comes without any kind of biographical, historical, or structural analysis (Rosen 1).
In conclusion, an artist needs to think freely in the process of creating a new idea or piece of work. Art needs freedom as well as discipline; such statement may sound contradictory, but freedom enables an individual to think and explore various fields. Additionally, it is imperative to appreciate that the freedom here is not an absolute freedom because each discipline or field is controlled at some level by its medium. For examples, in music, artists can work within a limited number of notes with unlimited number of compositions from the same notes. The connection between art and freedom is made at an excessively culturally sophisticated environment or level. Just as humans need water, food, and shelter for survival, art or any artistic idea needs freedom in order to thrive.
Works Cited
Cobussen, Marcel, and Nanette Nielsen. Music and Ethics. Burlington: Ashgate, 2012. Print.
Goodreads. 'A Quote by Albert Camus'. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/166283-without-freedom-no-art-art-lives-only-on-the-restraints>
Hagberg, Garry. Art and Ethical Criticism. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
Hoffman, Barbara T. Art and Cultural Heritage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.
Rosen, Charles. Freedom and The Arts. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012. Print.
Semonovitch, Kascha, and Neal DeRoo. Merleau-Ponty At The Limits Of Art, Religion, And Perception. London: Continuum, 2010. Print.
Sleinis, E. E. Art and Freedom. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003. Print.
Smith, Terry, Okwui Enwezor, and Nancy Condee. Antinomies Of Art And Culture. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008. Print.
Theblogatainsworthimages.ainsworthimages.com. '“Without Freedom, No Art; Art Lives Only On The Restraints It Imposes On Itself, And Dies Of All Others.” The Blog at Ainsworth Images'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://theblogatainsworthimages.ainsworthimages.com/blog/archives/2782>
Theoryofknowledge.net. 'What is the Relationship Between Art And Ethics'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.< http://www.theoryofknowledge.net/areas-of-knowledge/the-arts/what-is-the-relationship-between-art-and-ethics/>
