The prestigious, high-visibility positions in the art world are occupied by art selected more for its doctrinal conformity to dominant ideologies than for its artistic merit. Contemporary art promoted by museums, universities, and legacy media art critics typically conforms to the dogmas and doctrines of closely related schools of thought that might call themselves “progressive,” “leftist,” and these days, “woke.”
For example: The art can denigrate Christianity, but not other religions or atheism. The art can challenge traditional morals and aesthetics, but not progressive morals, aesthetics, and so forth.
There’s nothing wrong with art being political or even offensive. But today, art is being monopolized, used (and abused), and constrained by the dogmas of the dominant cultural faction which is, at least in the art world, the left. Art is stifled and crushed by the left too; it’s not flourishing there.
Art can serve as a medium for exploring truth and lies, enigmas, emotions, quandaries, and more. A painting or sculpture can open up new perspectives, pose questions, and speak to the viewer directly and viscerally. This is why we can’t have art bottled up into the ideological confines of one faction, or fenced off from another faction; artists need leeway to go out and explore.
A Counter-Cultural Appreciation of Beauty
In a culture that’s hostile to beauty, art doesn’t have to be political to be counter-cultural. Landscapes may not sound “alternative,” but it’s rare for mainstream contemporary art displays to promote landscapes that were created as celebrations of
