Controversial Art

We will always have controversy in the world because everybody is different and entitled to their own opinions. Controversy is good for society because it keeps people thinking. If people stop debating over issues our world would be boring and meaningless. Controversial art benefits our society in so many different ways. It allows us to view images we might not have seen if art was regulated. It allows us to expand our minds and wonder; what is this artist trying to tell us. By regulating art we would be completely undermining its true meaning. Artists would feel like they have produced works that are politically correct. We have enough politics in the world and art doesn’t need to be regulated like everything else. Imagine, Picasso or Guillermo Gomez-Pena being regulated or having a predetermined standard. Would their true artistic abilities shine in their works? The answer is no! By having true art in the world our imagination has no boundary. I really loved Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Roberto Sifuentes’ work, The Temple of Confessions, 1994. This image is very shocking to many people who view it. Images like this spark controversy. Without the work of art where would debate be?

Before watching “Maya Lin: Strong Clear Vision,” I wondered why would there be controversy over the Vietnam War Memorial design. Personally I have been to the site. It’s incredible! Everybody is quiet and reflecting on the whole situation. The names seem as if they are staring at you and all you can think about is the vast amount. You think about the story behind each one and how they felt being away from there families. You start to think about the families these people left behind and the ultimate sacrifice they made. I wondered what it would be like to die on foreign soil. What you don’t think about is the politics behind the war. I think that would be an insult to the names on the walls. After watching the video I understood why there was controversy. Both sides of the issue had excellent points on how the memorial should look. People who were opposed were right to voice their beliefs because everybody has that constitutional right. It seemed like the people against the wall wanted a cookie cutter type of memorial. If the memorial looked like every other memorial where would the meaning be? Maya Lin did a great job at designing the memorial and I understand the meaning of the work completely. She had to put up with a lot of controversy just to express herself.

Finally, I learned a lot in this chapter. I believe art should have no boundaries unless people would actually get physically hurt. I learned that controversial art is good for society because it inspires free thinking and debate. I also learned that art we thought was controversy years ago eventually becomes accepted. Nothing shocks me because we live in a world where anything can and will happen. As long as controversy art exist, we exist.