Ah, the tricky question of whether artists should be judged for their art or for their personal convictions and behavior ... In a Jewish context, this issue is often posed the other way around: i.e., what do we do with anti-Semites like Wagner (whose operas became the soundtrack of the Nazi party), Ezra Pound (whose radio broadcasts during WWII were both anti-semitic and treasonous), and so on? Both Wagner and Pound are considered extremely influential on their respective art forms ... but we continue to wrestle with whether we should discredit the art because of the abhorrent beliefs of the artist. Are those beliefs part of the makeup of the art? or should the person and the creation be viewed independently of one another? I personally take the former view, but in academic circles, there's often a push for the latter ...
Ah, the tricky question of whether artists should be judged for their art or for their personal convictions and behavior ... In a Jewish context, this issue is often posed the other way around: i.e., what do we do with anti-Semites like Wagner (whose operas became the soundtrack of the Nazi party), Ezra Pound (whose radio broadcasts during WWII were both anti-semitic and treasonous), and so on? Both Wagner and Pound are considered extremely influential on their respective art forms ... but we continue to wrestle with whether we should discredit the art because of the abhorrent beliefs of the artist. Are those beliefs part of the makeup of the art? or should the person and the creation be viewed independently of one another? I personally take the former view, but in academic circles, there's often a push for the latter ...