“Ars Gratia Artis”: Art for Art’s Sake?
| Also see: POTUS: Modern Art is a Con AND “The Incestuous Hollywood Pitch: ‘It’s X Meets Y'” “Ars gratia artis,” the MGM slogan, and the older motto goes. In other words, “Art for Art’s Sake.” In other words, “We just create art for the heck of it. For fun.” But really, there’s no such thing. Sure, producers and directors may even sincerely believe that they’re producing art for art’s sake, in the same way that a bank robber truly believes, at the moment, that he is doing the very best thing he could possibly be doing at that point in time. Otherwise, he’d be somewhere else, doing something else, right? The FakeNews tells stories, allegedly, with the purpose of keeping us informed, that we may better experience the world we live in. And a good many of the FakeNews talking heads likely believe that they are actually providing a public service. Eclectic movie directors of all sorts also believe they are ambassadors of beauty, pursuing art as an end unto itself. They probably believe that. But really, art for art’s sake doesn’t exist. Whether the maker of the art admits to it or not, knows it or not, there is a purpose that drives all art; and it’s up to the artist to ensure that a good purpose drives the creation of that art. How do you figure out what the purpose is of the stories that you’re told? What kind of books do you read? What kind of television shows, including Netflix and news? It’s easier to figure out what the purpose of your television shows is than you think. How do you feel when it’s over? Many people will say that they dislike or like a work of art, or a story. We’ve gotten so accustomed to being told stories, mostly marketing messages, that we don’t even stop to think about it. But if we did; if we dedicated just a moment to stopping and thinking about the last story we were told, often, we’d come to the conclusion that it was a waste of time, or worse, that the story had a bad aftertaste we can’t quite put our finger on, but that somehow, we would have been better off if we had never been exposed to that story at all. Yes, there are some stories that actually do make us dumber for having heard, seen, or read them. Gossip, for instance, is one of those kinds of stories. Henry David Thoreau said that’s exactly what most of the papers print every day. But then, you come across that rare gem of a story that stays with you, and leaves you feeling that not only was it a fun experience – if you really think about it, you realize that a story like that contributed something valuable that made you look at life in a new way. A story that can give you, better than any instruction manual, the essential tools you need to survive. It’s difficult to tell the purpose of a bad story, particularly because the creator of a story with a bad purpose goes to great lengths to conceal that the story has a bad purpose. Otherwise it wouldn’t sell very well. And that’s why Hollywood loves “art for art’s sake.” Of course, that is merely an excuse for art motivated by a bad purpose. Which is why you may have gone up on going to the movies, because you know that often you’ll pay $20 only to walk out depressed for having bought the ticket. Lots of times in the religious film market, films are made with a good starting intention, however we fail to deliver on that intent for the same reason the “art for art’s sake” artist does. There’s a motive in the director, unbeknownst to even the religious director, akin to that of the gossiper. As a result, the purpose, intended or not, is to waste the audience’s time. And so the purpose, in effect, is to waste the money and time of the audience, for the same reason the Hollywood guru writes Hallmark Card movies. That’s the way all the consultants, and the industry people, tell them to grow their career. After all, it’s expensive to run a cable network, or a movie distribution channel, or a streaming service, and so often, streaming or airing something is better than nothing. “Dead Air” is the sin of sins to the broadcast world. So what’s a moral artist in pursuit of the still soft voice of conscience to do, never mind the news anchor who is trained to consume an endless stream of media noise? Well, the answer is simple. The answer is to disconnect, and stop allowing the media, whose purpose is really to sell you more media, to stop telling us which media is useful, or good, and which is evil. The old MTV slogan went, “Too much is never enough.” No matter what your political views, it’s easy to see how a “Too much is never enough” approach to consuming media can quickly spin out of control. If we’re always watching, clicking, watching, clicking, typing, watching, clicking, clicking, clicking, clicking – Then how will we ever determine the difference between stories which make us better people, and those which misinform us, in the name of “Art for Art’s Sake”? What’s the purpose of the art you either engage in, or passively consume? Is it a good purpose, or a bad purpose? When you stop and think about it, it’s not that difficult to tell. I’ll generally tell those who ask in good faith what the purpose of Fall is, because it’s a really good purpose. It’s one that edifies the soul, rather than destroys it. See you in the next newsletter. In the mean, why not disconnect today? You’ll be glad you did. Yours, Peter |