issue144 同主题写作

dreadfullUID: 2137047

发现艺术类的真不好写..

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: 492          TIME: 2:21:41          DATE: 2006-7-11

It is quite a controversial issue to deciding whether the artist or the critic create the lasting value. I absolutely agree with that the artist's originality is the most important to the value of works of art. However, it is not appropriate to totally neglect the function of critics in the process of creating this value.

Art has a lasting value in aesthetics, which is delivered by the artist through his/her work. Beethoven's ninth symphonies express the  power of life, while Mozart's sonata are full of glory of humanity; Michelangelo's statuary David exhibits the beauty of human body, while Mona lisa's smile created by Da Vinci left people infinite wonder. When creating these significant works, composers devoted into the music their emotion and thoughts, which is the soul of the work. The artist's inspiration and creativity make a great work, thus artist is undoubtedly essential to the lasting value of works of art.

However, another essential value provided by art is the sense of social education and we should not ignore the important part that the critics make in the process of transmitting artists' personality into social value.  Someone may argue that not like science, art is for appreciation rather than telling some knowledge, and the critics just stop individuals from cultivate their own understanding. To rebut, I will demonstrate the function of critics in two respects.

Firstly, in my view, the function of critics don't lie on that they tell some facts, or rather their opinions may induce comprehensive cerebration and response. Take movies for example. When a film is completed, its value is still confined in a small field. Critics evaluate this film and present his/her perspective on media, such as newspaper, TV, and internet. No matter it is applause or depreciation, the criticism attracts society's attention. People may disagree with the critic, then they may come up with new positions. The understanding of the film may get much deeper in debate, till it finally has an impact on social values or even creats new ones. In other fields of art such as literature, which has a much longer history, we can also observe the function of crtics.

Secondly, compared with common people, the critics usually have a deep insight into the value of artistic works. Most professional critics are learned in relevant fileds, or sometimes they are the top masters. They clearly know from which points should the work be analysed, and they have a substantial background of artistic culture. They may point out the specific condition of creation and how it may affect the originator. Without these information, common people may just have a superficial understanding or intuitionistic feeling. It is helpful for appreciator to based their own ideas on professional background introduction. In this sense, critics play a crucial role in the aesthetic education.

In sum, while artists are essential in creating lasting values through their works, critics also own specific and important status in this process.