The ongoing – and necessary – debate about separating art from its author continues with full force and powerful arguments from various points of view. In Nick Cave , the issue is not simply a yes or no question, but possesses philosophical depth in a perspective that balances these positions.
In answering fan questions for the Red Hand Files , Cave opts for the perspective of admiring even the ability of bad people to produce beautiful pieces, and not specifically the artist. “I don’t think we can separate the art from the artist, nor should we,” he began (via Far Out Magazine ). “I think we can look at a work of art as the transformed or redeemed aspect of an artist and marvel at the miraculous journey the artwork has taken to reach the best part of the artist’s nature. Perhaps beauty can be measured by the distance it has traveled to finally exist.”
In this line of reasoning, Cave understands art as a possibility for overcoming the most negative aspects of each individual and showing the good that still exists. "The fact that bad people make good art is a reason for hope," he summarized. "We can find [hope] in a work of art that comes from the hands of a wrongdoer. These expressions of transcendence, of improvement, remind us that good exists in most things, rarely only evil."
Beyond cancel culture , this debate is related to a shift in social consciousness and is likely to continue for some time. Dee Snider and Sebastian Bach , for example, have already expressed differing opinions when commenting on the controversies surrounding Ted Nugent .
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