Uncle Sam: Art

Take for example, the "Piss Christ- by Andres Serrano, a photograph of a crucifix submerged in the artists own urine. A work like this provokes quite a bit of thought. "Art should start conversations.""(Miles). Art should always make us think. Its purpose is not to entertain, but to provoke something of the viewer-- a reaction. "Good art should speak to people on many levels.""(Ross). Countless times throughout history we have found artists and humanists vilified by their contemporaries resulting from their innovative styles, only to find themselves the icons of future generations. Often these artists had to rely on the patronage of wealthy admirers to find their means of productivity. These opportunities are not as numerous today as need be to support all of our deemed unconventional artists. If works were seriously reviewed for their artistic merit, and rather their ability to provoke a reaction of the viewer, it would then be that only those works found lacking would be greeted with inattention, indifference-- and insufficient funding. Offending others is inevitable. If the work of art is unpleasant to view, but makes the viewer consider the world from a different perspective, it should surely receive attention.
             As a whole it is apparent we have come a long way in regards to freedom of expression. Fifty years ago it was a sin to advertise tampons-- imagine showing them our commercials for viagra, or our billboards for gentlemen's clubs. Though, as a body politic, responses have made it disturbingly clear that when it comes to protecting the deeply held religious beliefs of a few we are ready to go to war over challenges posed by controversial works of art, denying support and recognition as a consequent of the subject matter used by an artist in his work. People have become afraid of art that makes them feel uncomfortable. This is largely a result of close-mindedness, part homophobia and biases resulting from religious views, based loosely on principle and more so on prejudice.