Art Must Give Its Audience a New Perspective

Some may believe that art as art serves beauty, not morality. They believe that the purpose of art is only to express beauty and it may do as it chooses in search for this perfection. As defined by dictionary.com, art is “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Others believe in “art for art’s sake.” However, Tolstoy opposes this when he contends, “there is no such thing as art for art’s sake, anymore than science for science’s sake, since every human function should be directed to increase morality and to suppress violence” (Corey 113). People who believe that art should be kept separate from anything else might compare it to science. To many, science is usually separated from morality, as evidenced through the many petitions that have been created to question the morality of certain experiments. As such, science is indifferent to morals; science is wrought with speculation; it perfects the understanding in order to gain knowledge. The scientist has for his purpose truth and he concentrates all his attention towards his quest for the truth. Rationally to some, it is true that science cares not for morality. Science is only here to seek the truth, and towards this end, the act of seeking does not mean to incite action. But the goal of art is essentially practical. Art, in its truest form, must appeal not only to the mind but to the whole man; it affects not only his mental attitudes but most importantly, his perception. Thus, the artist has no obligation to preach morality, but he must express a comment about society as a whole through his work of art by giving his audience a new perspective.
Towards the end of the ...

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...rtist should be devoted to the ultimate purpose of what he creates. There must be layers of depth in an artwork; superficiality should never be commended. The true artist must realize the importance of the moral objective because that is when he realizes the fundamental issues of life and serves a social purpose, and as such, lives a life with meaning. One must realize that there can be no morality greater than recognizing the importance of social progress in life. In an artist’s journey to express life’s continuous drive for richer fulfillment, every single artist becomes a moralist. If an artist lives with this goal in mind, his art pieces are fundamentally moral and he has a prophetic role to play. And he may even be more successful than a story with the only goal of teaching a moral lesson, for a good story is a moral in itself, more readable, and more artistic.