Do today's artists reflect or inspire society?

At last night's Oscar's George Clooney made a pertinent point about the arts, and films more specifically saying that art either reflects the society or it forms it. He said it more than once in interviews, and once he added that he thought current the movies tend to reflect it.

George Clooney has the backing of his previous success and financial gain from that success as a television and movie star that now allows him to make the kinds of movies that at least reflect, in a searching and questioning way, our society.

All the films nominated for the Academy Awards this year revolved around issues of race, homosexuality, drugs, sex, terrorism, violence and political challenges to our freedoms. They were all reflective, whether one agreed with their positions or not. Not a single one proposed a unique vision that was not reflective. At least they were reflective!

Reflecting is a kind of comment. However, in order to reflect something or someone we have to become like it/them.

In Proverbs we learn that who we hang out with is who we become like. We naturally attune to who and what surrounds us because that's what we are focused on .

Almost.

People who “hang out” with other people who they are purposefully and proactively working to help or change, do not become like those people. That's because the focus is on the goal, on helping people to live better lives, not fully on the people they are partially focused on. It's what defines the difference between a drug counselor and someone who begins taking drugs due to peer pressure.

We always have the opportunity and choice whether to be reflective or proactive and inspired.

When it comes to fine arts, artists at best have been reflecting society according to what I've seen recently wandering around the galleries in NYC. Often, they seem to be reflecting one another. It makes sense; they're hanging out and focused on one another.

Great art is relevant but not reflective. Great art leads the way. It proposes a new reality. The premise, the idea, even the meaning will inspire, challenge and change one's vision of the world.

By the very blessing of the gift of great talent, artists have a responsibility to be inspired and to inspire – not to merely settle for being reflective.

Yet, it never fully happens just because of one artist.

Elsewhere, I write about how Van Gogh changed my life, maybe even helped to save it. His art is not reflective but proposes a passionate way of seeing the world, holding in a moment all the joy and exuberance and promise with the simultaneous despair and pain of life.

However, without Van Gogh's brother Theo, without those who championed Vincent's work, without the dealers, critics, curators and public who promoted his work, I never would have been able to see it, almost 2/3rds of a century later in Museums in New York City .

Those people who promoted and still promote Van Gogh's work had a vision, too. They took Van Gogh's vision, made it their own and shared it in a way that was viable. As one of the people who have benefited from the sharing of that vision, including at the recent exhibit of Van Gogh's drawings at the Metropolitan, I thank them all for it. Like Van Gogh, they are people with a vision who have and are leading the way.

March 7, 2006