CAN “IMMORAL” PEOPLE CREATE GREAT ART?
My answer is YES. I will analyze it from three different perspectives and explain why the artworks are great.
From a spiritual perspective, these great artworks were God’s work; these artists were just channels to express them. Why choose them? I don’t know. Their flaws or crimes committed are the living proof that we humans are imperfect. I guess Caravagio (1573-1610) killed someone in a spur of rage. Bernini physically disfigured his mistress out of jealousy. Jacques-Louis David acted according to his belief: “arts must …contribute forcefully to the education of the public,” and must be in the service of revolution. (p. 847 Gardner’s)
From a psychological perspective, I wonder if the moody unfriendly Michelangelo was the same great sculptor Michelangelo who created David. Was he happy when he was creating? Or was the furiously jealous Bernini the same Bernini who created the Saint Peter’s Cathedral? What I mean is people behave differently at different times of their lives and when interacting with different people. I have come to realize that we all have “multiple personalities”. During any given day, we can go through different thoughts, moods and feelings. I confess that sometimes I was very unkind to my own family.
Also, we don’t know if some of these artists suffered from bi-polar, depression or other mental or mood problems. Some studies show that genius and psychosis are just separately by a fine line. We know Van Gogh is a good example. It seems that the strong emotions combine with good art skills generate great artwork.
From the perspective of art technique and its influences, to reach mastery, each and every artist has to study and work hard.
In the case of Caravagio, his art style “injected a naturalism into both religion and the classics, reducing them to human dramas, played out the in the harsh and dingy settings of his time and place.” (p. 700, Gardener’s) This was a brand new style and influenced artists then and later greatly. How courageous and ingenious! His use of perspectives and chiaroscuro (contrast of light and dark) was especially significant.
Bernini was a great architect, sculptor, and painter in Baroque period. Until old age, he would work with his chisel for seven hours virtually without pause, throughout a long, hot day. According to the book Art: A New History by Paul Johnson, Bernini “believed that God had endowed him with unusual gifts and that, in return, he must make exemplary use of them to glorify his Maker and to make the world share his faith.” He was the creator of David, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. He was more than just a violent lover.
Jacques-Louis David also studied past artwork very careful and was considered to be a great artist in neoclassical period. His artworks include The Death of Socrates (1787), Oath of the Horatii (1784), the Death of Marat (1793). The latter was most controversial because he depicted Marat as a martyr instead of a terrorist murderer in the French revolution. A naked man in a bathtub looked so innocent. However, the artwork itself was very convincingly real in a neoclassical style, and the composition was considered to draw reference to the Pieta by Michelangelo. Its value lies on that it is moving to the viewers and it shows us that a painting can be deceptive.
My answer is YES. I will analyze it from three different perspectives and explain why the artworks are great.
From a spiritual perspective, these great artworks were God’s work; these artists were just channels to express them. Why choose them? I don’t know. Their flaws or crimes committed are the living proof that we humans are imperfect. I guess Caravagio (1573-1610) killed someone in a spur of rage. Bernini physically disfigured his mistress out of jealousy. Jacques-Louis David acted according to his belief: “arts must …contribute forcefully to the education of the public,” and must be in the service of revolution. (p. 847 Gardner’s)
From a psychological perspective, I wonder if the moody unfriendly Michelangelo was the same great sculptor Michelangelo who created David. Was he happy when he was creating? Or was the furiously jealous Bernini the same Bernini who created the Saint Peter’s Cathedral? What I mean is people behave differently at different times of their lives and when interacting with different people. I have come to realize that we all have “multiple personalities”. During any given day, we can go through different thoughts, moods and feelings. I confess that sometimes I was very unkind to my own family.
Also, we don’t know if some of these artists suffered from bi-polar, depression or other mental or mood problems. Some studies show that genius and psychosis are just separately by a fine line. We know Van Gogh is a good example. It seems that the strong emotions combine with good art skills generate great artwork.
From the perspective of art technique and its influences, to reach mastery, each and every artist has to study and work hard.
In the case of Caravagio, his art style “injected a naturalism into both religion and the classics, reducing them to human dramas, played out the in the harsh and dingy settings of his time and place.” (p. 700, Gardener’s) This was a brand new style and influenced artists then and later greatly. How courageous and ingenious! His use of perspectives and chiaroscuro (contrast of light and dark) was especially significant.
Bernini was a great architect, sculptor, and painter in Baroque period. Until old age, he would work with his chisel for seven hours virtually without pause, throughout a long, hot day. According to the book Art: A New History by Paul Johnson, Bernini “believed that God had endowed him with unusual gifts and that, in return, he must make exemplary use of them to glorify his Maker and to make the world share his faith.” He was the creator of David, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. He was more than just a violent lover.
Jacques-Louis David also studied past artwork very careful and was considered to be a great artist in neoclassical period. His artworks include The Death of Socrates (1787), Oath of the Horatii (1784), the Death of Marat (1793). The latter was most controversial because he depicted Marat as a martyr instead of a terrorist murderer in the French revolution. A naked man in a bathtub looked so innocent. However, the artwork itself was very convincingly real in a neoclassical style, and the composition was considered to draw reference to the Pieta by Michelangelo. Its value lies on that it is moving to the viewers and it shows us that a painting can be deceptive.
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