ART AND MORALITY- AN ANALYSIS ON THE DIVERGENT VIEWS OF THE NATURE AND RELATIONSHIP OF THEM.

Abstract

Both art and morality arise from a sense of anticipation about perfection. Morality always tries to attain perfect behaviour in a changing pattern of life, while art tries to provide a world of ideal construction. Analysis of art and morality reveals that this smooth view about the relationship between art and morality is not a unquestioned one. History of art and morality witnessed number of sharp battles between the advocates of autonomy of art and the defenders of moral values.

One can identify a strong disagreement between art and morality from the time of Plato onwards. Plato did not give any place to the artist and the poet in his ‘Republic’ and the system of education. He is the first sensor of art on moral grounds and condemns the pleasure of being ‘deceived’ by art as childish and unworthy. But this condemnation towards art couldn’t be prevalent for a long time. Aristotle’s graceful comment on art clarified the tie up of art and morality explicitly. Through this reappraisal he invests in art the capacity to represent universal truth of life, and so also bring about catharsis and purification of art. This sort of strong disagreement towards art as morally void enterprises and its reappraisal can be observed in contemporary situations.

This paper intended to make a comprehensive analysis upon the wavering currents regarding the relationship between art and morality. This descriptive analysis tried to make clear the divergence stand points about the art and morality by the prominent figures and systems of philosophy.