I wasn't sure if I wanted to write today. It's Independence Day here in the U.S. and the weather is beautiful. I should be out doing what we do best......eat, drink, and enjoy the company of our friends and family. Who wants to think about art on a day like today, let alone write about it?
But I can't shake the thoughts of institutions past and present that seek to control artistic expression. We have all heard stories of the Inquisition. Art had to be approved by the church or it and it's creator could be branded a heretic, satanist, or worse. Historically many governments have suppressed art too. They required it to be sanctioned and approved. Only stuff that supported the regime and their "patriotic" outcomes would pass.
Most recently N. Korea and China come to mind, although China has become more lax in recent years. Russia is beginning to tighten up and many countries in the middle east have long had stringent rules. Then of course we must mention ISIS and their propensity for murder and mayhem.
America, like many other countries, prides itself on being free. And we should. But of the many freedoms that we enjoy, I think that artistic freedom is often overlooked. When we think of the many battles fought to earn and preserve freedom we think of soldiers. As we should. But many times writers, poets, painters, and composers have been imprisoned or executed. They also are casualties of war. Gentle warriors who quietly tell the truth and motivate the masses.
As we proceed through this election year we will be subjected to songs, essays, and cruel caricatures of the politicians that we don't like and the policies they support. Legally we get to do that. If you're on the receiving end of that it's painful. And you would really like to put an end to it. But there are other works of art that remind us that we also fight and die for the right of other people to disagree with us. Works like the Flag, our Anthem, Mt. Rushmore, and the Statue of Liberty. Oh, and a piece of literature with beautiful calligraphy that begins with "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union....."