Navigating the Moral Landscape of Art Appreciation and Engagement in the Works of Morally Compromised Artists

Presenter

Lucy Rose Palacios

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Ned Markosian, Department of Philosophy, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board C10, Poster Showcase Room (163), Row 1 (C1-C10) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

In light of recent movements such as the #MeToo movement, the moral lives of our most beloved artists have come under immense scrutiny. This raises the question: what should we do with their art? Should we continue to consume, revere, or enjoy their art? Does their immorality inherently taint their artworks? Previous publications on the topic have produced a wide range of results, some arguing for autonomism and the notion of a complete divorce between a work of art and the artist who created it. While autonomism is not a widely accepted view, other authors have accepted that we cannot separate the art from the artist, but that this fact should not preclude us from consuming and enjoying their works. Other answers proposed include notions that art consumption is ultimately a personal choice and therefore should be left to individuals to make this decision, or that giving up artworks poses a significant threat to our aesthetic autonomy. In this thesis, I will argue that there are many reasons why we should give up the works of immoral artists; namely, that we as viewers of art and arbiters of culture have moral and aesthetic responsibilities to the cultivation and perpetuation of a society that does not promote serious immorality. 

Keywords

aesthetics , immoral artists, ethics, boycotts, morality

Research Area

Art and Aesthetics

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