Use of Art

Everyone (well, almost everyone) loves art in some form or another. We admire photographs, ponder paintings, watch films. And we read novels.

But what makes something art? Can art exist solely for art's sake? I tend to think so. However, one can't help but wonder... would it be more beneficial to take your art and apply it in some larger way? Usually we state our opinion multiple times a day. We have no problem verbalizing what we feel inside. Everyone has an opinion, especially when it comes to religion or politics.

So, if you happen to be an artist, is there harm in applying your skills to a cause greater than yourself? To a cause, dare I suggest it, greater than your art? Harriet Beecher Stowe seemed to think so.

When you read this woman's work, you see a great ability to move the emotions. Stowe possesses a special skill for hitting the soft point inside all our hearts. One can not help but wonder, however, if a great amount of her success is due to her choice of subject in the first place. While a skillful writer, Stowe finds events that actually happened and applies them to her work. These happenings are hard to digest, probably to a great extent because they are based on facts. Stowe takes the facts and weaves them together in one narrative to create a propaganda piece.

And yet, to call Uncle Tom's Cabin a propaganda piece does it a disservice. It contains a depth rarely reached in the novel. Somehow, Stowe found a way to both exploit an evil and create a beautiful piece of art.

So, to all you doubters out there, it can be done; political pieces can be beautiful.

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