Opinion has it that the artist should not express one’s political views. As George Orwell points out though, in his classic essay Why I write (which obviously represents all art and not only literature), one of the prime causes of creativity is the following:
(iv) Political purpose. -- Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.
(iv) Political purpose. -- Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.
When e.g. someone asks you not to condemn fascism from “respect to the views of others”, they are doing it because they “respect” it themselves, or because they are afraid that they might turn those who embrace it against them. Nevertheless, it is well known that when you let someone drown it’s as if you have drowned them yourself. I.e. as if you are a fascist yourself. You cannot respect fascism, because fascism does not respect anything.
The responsibility of the so-called intellectuals lies to the power of art to communicate messages. It’s no accident that all totalitarian regimes control the arts. Or that the greek government recently tends to trivialize the teaching of the arts at school, by reducing the relevant hours or by assigning them to non-qualified teachers (see relevant post).
When you turn your back at the society and its problems, saying that “my only job is to do art”, you cannot expect its support.