www.theparisreview.org: Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, William Burroughs, Richard Wagner, Sid Vicious, V. S. Naipaul, John Galliano, Norman Mailer, Ezra Pound, Caravaggio, Floyd Mayweather, though if we start listing athletes we’ll never stop. And what about the women? The list immediately becomes much more difficult and tentative: Anne Sexton? Joan Crawford? Sylvia Plath? Does self-harm count? Okay, well, it’s back to the men I guess: Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Lead Belly, Miles Davis, Phil Spector.
2 comments:
This eloquently written and in-depth article really presented a vivid analysis of the way we view prominent artist in our society who have committed atrocious acts. This phenomena has become dishearteningly common as more and more instances of sexual harassment in the entertainment and news media industry, and even in our government. The author of this article uses her personal views and struggle with Woody Allen to characterize the central dilemma we are all facing today, how we should view the work of great artists who have done deplorable things. I too have no clear answer to this, as I feel strongly that these people should not continue to be rewarded simply because they have made good work, and yet their work is still good. It is certainly a dilemma, but I for one can find all the artistry I need from artists who are good people, and lead by example. Perhaps in cases such as Woody Allen's, it's for the best that we divert our support and attention to the artists we can really admire.
This article poses an extremely difficult and nuanced question-- how do we approach the well-made art of "monstrous" men in the industry? Recently I have felt the same way as the author when appreciating and enjoying the work put out by some of these men, and felt guilty for lauding the work they have put out into the world knowing the terrible things these men have done. After conversations with my friends about this particular topic and a lot of reflection, I think a potential solution to this dilema is context. When sensitive topics are taught correctly in academic settings and approached with care, they always provide context to the historical events to represent them accurately. The same needs to be done when reviewing the art of monstrous men-- context and background are necessary when reflecting upon this matter.
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