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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: 577
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2009/8/5 22:11:37
When it comes to the value of art, such questions arises: Whether it is the artist or the critic gives society something of lasting value? People, including the speaker, believe it is the former's contribution. However, in my point of view, which I concede the invaluable value artists create to our society, critic also plays a key role in conveying the explicit ideas of the works to the public as well as polishing the works.
Admittedly, artist is the prerequisite of the value of art. It is the artist not the critic that creates the work of art. The ideas, the themes and the objectives all sprang from the sophisticated minds of artists. Without artists, we would never have the opportunities to enjoy the pleasure in tasting the nectar of these masterpieces. Without Monet, for instance, we would not see the fantastic impressionistic work of Sunrise. Without Beethoven, we would not hear the attractive melody of Chorus. In short, artists are the origin of the values of art, without whom value comes no way from.
While we should place emphasis on the status artists should obtain, critics also play an indelible role in giving society lasting value.
On one hand, it is the critics that convey the otherwise hidden ideas from the exquisite works to audience. From common sense and personal experiences, we can find it common that some values of work of art cannot be comprehended by ordinary people. Artists are such people whose minds are sometimes realistic, sometimes idealistic, sometimes abstract, sometimes concrete and even sometimes impressionistic, which make the average populace hard to capture. Then the role of critics becomes indispensible. They help artists convey their otherwise hidden ideas, and help audience better taste the explicit or covert parts. History is replete of works with lasting values but cannot be directly enjoyed by the public. Consider the Sun Flower, the masterpiece form Van Gogh, which is enjoyed by most of people who have ever seen it. However, when asked about the reason of their enjoyment. Nearly the majority of them would just respond because it is beautiful. At this time, critics become the necessity. Only by their enlightening and instilling, can the audience figure out the implicit element of hope from the masterwork. Similarly, without the help of critics, many people would take 'Destiny' as a symphony of depression, while not figure out the understanding of life and death contained in it. In a word, critics shoulder the responsibility to convey the value of works to the public, without whom even masterpieces would amount to an ordinary works.
On the other hand, it is also the critics that help artists polish that work of art. An apt illustration of this point involves Chopin, the eminent and patriotic musician. He had a best friend who worked as a critic and especially had his personal view in the realm of music. Every time Chopin created a new song or symphony, he would ask his best friend to head and make some suggestion. Although the inspirations and ideas always came from Chopin's imagination and patriotism, his friend usually made some advisable proposal to him to make the songs more inspiring and impressing. And this was the exact way in that Chopin created so many impressive works of art. Accordingly, when we owe the lasting value of art to the artists, we should never overlook the important role critics play in.
In summary, artists create works of art, while critics convey their value to the public and help ameliorate them. Thus, it is the marriage between artists and critics that give our society the lasting value. |
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