Tolstoy makes the point that anyone who doesn't follow the social or religious paradigm of the day in their art through the mediums which are most socially accepted, then they aren't really artists. This is a point that I strongly disagree with. An artist does not have to follow what is socially or religiously accepted to be a great artist. I would consider Douglas Adams, Christopher Hitchens, and Greg Graffin to be fantastic writers, and all of them are/were atheists, Greg Graffin especially. The man is a college professor in the field of evolutionary biology and also is the lead singer in the famous punk band Bad Religion. He plays in a band which already doesn't follow the mainstream music stream and has still made a name for himself while spreading the word of atheism (but is not the only subject that he covers).
An artist can be a great artist if they go "against the grain", arguably even better than those that follow the social paradigms. One who looks for creativity outside of what most people are doing are all the more creative and thus are greater artists, for creativity is a big part of being at true artist. If you follow the mainstream, then where is the creativity in doing what everyone else is doing? That's not art, not using your imagination to create something new and exciting. An artist should express themselves through creativity and sincerity, yes, but does not need to follow the crowd; in fact, he should try not to.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteReligion and Society promote the study of all religious groups and beliefs among the various peoples of the world. It is one of the powerful tradition institutions,has undergone far -reaching changes with regards to the criteria of values and standard of behavior. Thanks a lot.....
You make that statement as if I was directing this post at the organization, which I was not. It was a general statement on religion, society, and art. Thank you.
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