TOPIC: ISSUE144 - "It is the artist, not the critic,* who gives society something of lasting value."
*a person who evaluates works of art, such as novels, films, music, paintings, etc.
WORDS: 496 TIME: 01:00:00 DATE: 2011-4-10 23:13:30
The speaker asserts that it is the arts rather than critics serve as the main contribution to long lasting arts. While, I fundamentally disagree with this assertion for it, to some extent, overstate the role of the artists in the creation of a long lasting works while, neglect the value of the critics towards the artistic works. Close scrutiny shows that one priceless works needs the association of the artist and critics.
First and foremost, there is no denying the fact that the artist gives society something of lasting value. For one thing, the work of artists gives people artistic pleasure and spirit inspiration. As a typical example, the famous paint Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci show the nobleness of woman at that time. For another, some work such as the novels of Mark Twain help people to know same deep level things of the society. The humorous story in Mark Twain's novel reveals the truth in common people's life.
Despite the merits of the speaker's claim, however, I disagree with the statement that it is artist, not the critic, who gives society something of lasting value in virtue of the factors in two respects. Firstly, the critic also brings something of lasting value toward the society which is easily neglected by people. For instance, the popular literary salon in Europe gives the author a lot useful suggestions which can help them improve their work. The critic makes comments on the work of different authors on the artic value, the structure and cultural background. As is well know to all, the creation of a work of art is mainly the subjective representation of the emotions, observations, values and tastes of the artist. What is less recognized is that, in fact, the examination and review of art works, as done by critics, is also a highly subjective procedure. Therefore, by reviewing art works, art critics are, to some extent, recreating the work in their own way.
Furthermore, a critic who is familiar with a particular artist and his or her art works can help us understand and interpret art. Many previous artists are found in this way, which is the reason with that a valuable diamond will never shine if it is not burnished. For example, the paintings of Van Gogh can’t be so famous if no critic found their value. Nobody will know the deep meaning of the collage of Picasso without the comments of the critic. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The critic can hold a subjective standpoint and give some special comments on the work of artists, which contributes to the development of the study in the realm of arts and ultimately help the artists to create a better works in the future achievement.
From the analysis made above, I concede that artists and critics supplement and also rely on each other. As time passes, the perfect works with lasting value are those which are create by artists and evaluated by critics.