Art And Society: Inspired By History And Surroundings

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Art and Society
Art in its different forms has diverse roles in the society as artists communicate issues that are cultural, social, political, economic, religious historical, scientific or simply artistic self-expression expression. Different societies have diverse criteria on what is considered art work and its role in the society. Creating and distributing art is crucial to disseminating the art forms.
While art does mirror what is common in a society, people are also influenced by the ideas they encounter in books, art work and the mass media. For artists the likelihood that the audience will question what they already know highlights the relevance of art in challenging prevailing narratives. The buyers of art are consumers who view the works as commodities, while utilizing the ideas of other people’s work is not phenomenon and art lovers appreciate creativity. Concerns about the likely negative effects of some art works should not be ignored as artists may inspire violence and hate against certain groups in the name of advancing artwork. This paper highlights how art influences societies as artists are inspired by their surroundings, while art imitates life and art exposes people to ideas.
Artists are inspired by what they encounter, their history and surroundings, these influences work in different ways in the art world. When making new art, the artists then are likely to use earlier work to create new art. This is more so for modern culture whether the mass media makes it easier to disseminate. As more people are exposed to diverse ideas expressed through art they become familiar with different viewpoints. “Appropriation has always played a key role in Dylan’s music,” (Lethem 213). He acknowledges appropriating is not always a bad thing as art is not fixed in time, and appropriation inspires artists. Rather than focus on the debate between originality and imitation, artists ought to create new things based on what influences them. “But after nearly 200 years of photography, it may be that we are closer than ever to understanding that an image –– be it circulated in a newspaper, on YouTube, or in an art gallery,” (Nelson 304). Photography is an art, and the artists who use images within the right context communicate to the intended audience. This can inspire them to produce other art forms while integrating new media forms with earlier art of work by other artists and authors. Unnecessary censorship and the need to regulate art forms have a negative effect on the ability of artists to apply the work of other people even when they acknowledge the source as their inspiration. When there is excessive control over art, only certain narratives are presented while there is a likelihood of propaganda and censorship when the governments limit the freedom of expression. Artists inspired by other works and their contemporaries should acknowledge this and even as a single photograph can change people’s perceptions to understand places outside their surroundings. People are familiar with what they have been exposed to and art imitates life, and when individuals encounter new art they may approve, disapprove or at times remain indifferent...