Category: Culture

Separating art from the artist is a concept that refers to the idea of appreciating or evaluating a work of art independently of the personal characteristics, actions, or beliefs of the artist who created it. This concept arises from the recognition that an artist’s personal life, behaviour, or views may not be associated with their artistic output. And that the value or merit of a work of art should be assessed based on its own qualities rather than the character or actions of the creator.

Some people believe that art stands on its own and has its intrinsic meaning, which is not impacted by an artist’s actions. They find it easy to enjoy the work put out by artists whose actions they disagree with, treating them as two separate entities. Other people will say it’s impossible and morally incorrect to bear the idea of said separation, saying that art fundamentally must reflect the artist’s beliefs and ideas, that being an artist is a deeply intimate experience, and to remove an artist from their creations, is to decontextualize their work and leaves it devoid of meaning. Another worry is that if we are too rigorous towards which art to consume, we would be reduced to a very limited number of creations.

Where did “separate the art from the artist” come from?

From a historical standpoint, the idea of separating art from the artist was first introduced under the New Criticism of the early 20^th century, a time when English literature was heavily analysed and prioritized over classical literature.

The New Criticism was a formalist Movement in literary theory that dominated American literary criticism. It emphasized close reading, particularly poetry, to discover how a work of literature functioned as a self-contained, self-referential, aesthetic object. The method of New Criticism is a close reading and concentrates on such a formal aspect as rhythm, theme, imaginary metaphor, etc.

The essence of New Criticism lies in the analysis and interpretation of literature solely through the text itself, without considering the influence or intentions of the author, or the historical and cultural context that might have shaped the work.

Examples of influential people with controversial histories

Chris Brown

Musician Chris Brown has been known and talked about for his documented history of violence towards women, and, in 2009, musician and businesswoman Rihanna was a victim of his abuse. Since then, assault and battery charges (battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault, which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact) have been recurrent in the last several years of his public image, particularly accusations from women who have filed police reports against the singer and dancer.

Despite his violent actions and behaviour toward women, Brown releases music regularly. This type of situation made some people ponder if they should keep on streaming Chris Brown´s songs because by supporting his career and ability to create more content they are directly benefiting him.

Caravaggio

Caravaggio’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” 1599

This painting, like many others by Caravaggio, is probably familiar to most. The Baroque artist is renowned for his grim and violent depictions, such as the one represented above. However, Caravaggio´s notoriety extends beyond his artwork. In the early 17^th century, he faced trial at least 11 times for various offenses.

His life was marked by a pattern of recklessness and conflict. As his fame grew, so did his reputation for indulging in vices such as drinking, gambling, and brawling. Between 1598 and 1601, he faced legal troubles for yielding a sword without a permit, assaulting a man with a stick, and allegedly attacking another with a sword. Additionally, he found himself embroiled in a bitter rivalry with fellow painter Giovanni Baglione, who accused Caravaggio of hiring assassins to kill him.

The artist´s run-ins with the law were numerous and varied. He was taken to court for acts ranging from throwing a plate of artichokes at a waiter to breaking a window shutter in his rented room. He even spent time in prison for offenses like pelting stones at policemen and verbally abusing a woman and her daughter. Then, in May 1606, he killed a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni.

This type of action makes one question whether they should worship his art and be indifferent to what was previously expressed or take a stand against such faults and not contribute to his further recognition as an artist and person.

Rex orange county

The 25-year-old British singer and songwriter, whose real name is Alex O´Conner and is well known for being the creator of songs that touch and inspire his fans carrying them through dark phases, was charged with sexual assault accusations by a woman who alleges he assaulted her in London on six separate occasions in two days, leaving some fans devastated. Some of them, who had tattoos in honour of some of his songs, stepped forward and claimed their disappointment in social media “My heart immediately broke for the alleged victim,” Kayla Ellis told BuzzFeed News “I started crying almost instantly because I knew nothing was going to be the same after hearing this.” Eventually, the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, but during that time, die-hard fans were struggling with separating the art from its artist, especially the ones that shared they had been through similar experiences related to sexual abuse.

R. Kelly

Chart-topping R&B singerRobert Sylvester Kelly had, for more than two decades faced allegations of sexual and child abuse. In 2022, Kelly was convicted of three child pornography charges of enticing a minor.  He was sentenced to serve 31 years imprisonment in a combination of concurrent and consecutive sentences.

He was convicted of child sexual abuse in a second federal trial in Chicago and faced charges due to sexual misconduct charges in Minnesota.

Some examples of people who came forward are Tracy Sampson, who sued R. Kelly, accusing him of inducing her “into an indecent sexual relationship” when she was 17. The woman, a former intern at Epic Records, said she was “treated as his personal sex object and cast aside”. Patrice Jones is a woman from Chicago who claimed he impregnated her when she was underage, and that she was forced to have an abortion.

In June 2002 he was charged over child abuse videos. He was charged with 21 counts of making child sexual abuse videos involving various sexual acts. In 2002-2004 arrest prompted further charges. Kelly was charged with further 12 counts of producing child sexual abuse images in Florida, where he was arrested at his holiday home.

Additionally, allegations depicted an organized effort from the singer and his associates to recruit and transport underage girls over state lines for illegal sexual purposes, including the production of child sex abuse images, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice by destroying evidence and bribing or threatening witnesses.

There are several reasons why people might choose to separate art from the artist:

Artistic appreciation, some individuals believe that the intrinsic qualities of a work of art, such as its aesthetic beauty, technical skill, or emotional impact, should be evaluated independently of the artist´s attributes or behaviour. Artistic legacy, in cases where an artist’s personal conduct or beliefs are controversial, separating art from the artist may allow the artwork itself to be preserved and appreciated for its cultural or historical significance, even if the artist’s reputation is tarnished. Artistic freedom, being able to absorb art independently can also support the idea that artists should have the freedom to express themselves creatively without fear, censorship, or judgment based on their personal lives and beliefs.

Conclusion

For some people, in modern days, it´s unbearable to shy away from accusations, trials, and skeletons in closets, as we become ubiquitous in the media. This debate made the term cancel culture (the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren’t socially accepted today) emerge. Cancel culture is adopted by those who find it hard to manage the difference between art and its creator. They state that we, as consumers, can have a momentous impact and can no longer claim ignorance of what is constantly in plain sight, leading us to the question that plots this article, is it morally correct to separate the art from the artist?

---

Sources: New York Post, BBC, Biography, RollingStone, English Literature Zone

New Criticism in literature | 20th Century Criticism | Modern Criticism

While jazz became popular in the 1920s, its beginnings actually date back to the early 19th century! A bit before 1820, slaves would gather in the Congo Square, New Orleans, to play music. This was only possible in the state of Louisiana where the Code Noir, a rule book outlining the treatment of slaves, included a clause that allowed some slaves to have a day of rest.

The Congo Square 

Over time, New Orleans would become a “melting pot” of culture, partially due to slave trade: African Americans, descendants of slaves from the Caribbean, Creoles and European immigrants were part of the bustling population of the city. This diversity impacted the evolution of music: the blending of African and Caribbean music, slave songs, and church hymns was joined by marching band instruments, very popular during the Civil War, forming the genre known as ragtime. Then, spiritual music joined the mix, followed by the blues. This progressive build up led to the creation of jazz.  

The cornetist Buddy Bolden is often considered the first jazz musician: he assembled The Bolden Band, in 1895, that would play at dances and street parades. 

Jazz is an extremely unique and colourful genre: it embodies musical freedom. Indeed, some of its characteristics include improvisation, solos, and irregular rhythms spread over many subgenres such as modern and free jazz, bebop and swing. 

Ella Fitzgerald

Since jazz initially gained widespread popularity in the US and Europe in the 1920s, many people view this period as the beginning of the Jazz Age. The genre rose during the Roaring Twenties, a time of speakeasies in The Prohibition Era, flappers, and music. Artists and great voices like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald became famous almost overnight. Subsequently, despite losing its place at the top of the musical pyramid during the Great Depression, jazz has continued to echo throughout time, influencing pop culture, even as new styles and subgenres emerged in music.

Louis Armstrong

Unfortunately, the genre has become widely associated with background or “elevator” music, undermining its complexity and beauty, which is why it is important to spread its history. Jazz, with its extensive range of sounds, can truly captivate your senses and immerse you in an exquisite musical universe. So, grab your headphones and put on some Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker or Ella Fitzgerald! 

---

Sources: Jazzobserver, The History of Jazz by Ted Giogia

Reading time: 6 minutes

James Baldwin was an American writer and civil rights activist best known for his semi-autobiographical novels and essays dealing with the topics of race, politics, and sexuality. He was not only an important pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement but also one of the first writers to openly discuss these issues in the deeply conservative mid-20th century American society. Baldwin successfully intertwined the complex themes of identity, race, sexuality, and oppression in his raw and honest portrayals of society and in his beautifully tragic pieces, bringing awareness to them while defending values that are crucial, even today.  

His life and relation with the American Civil Rights Movement 

James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York, in 1924 where he grew up in a Catholic family and developed an interest in writing in high school. In 1948, he moved to France as a way to evade the racism and homophobia he faced in his birth country and fully explore his art. There, he was able to separate himself from the segregated American society and, from an outside perspective, better write about his experience in this culture. During this time, he wrote some of his most famous novels and essays, including Go Tell It on the Mountain – inspired in his own childhood, portraying a young black boy’s experience trying to find his identity in a religious family and racist country -, Giovanni’s Room  – that deals directly with homophobia as the protagonist struggles to accept himself and to commit to a passionate relationship -, Notes of a Native Son – Baldwin’s honest reflection on his relationship with his father among racial oppression – and The Fire Next Time – a powerful essay on race, power and justice that focuses specifically on the Civil Rights Movement.  

Baldwin became very active in the American Civil Rights Movement, often visiting America and becoming close friends with Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Nina Simone, among many other of its important figures. At this time, he branched out into other forms of expression, such as writing poetry and screenplays and giving speeches about his views on discrimination and freedom. While back in the United States, he worked as a college professor at the University of Massachusetts. 

Baldwin died at the age of 63 of stomach cancer, in his home in Saint Paul de Vence, France, on December 1^st, 1987. He left unfinished a manuscript, Remember This House, which would later inspire the critically acclaimed 2016 Raoul Peck film, I Am Not Your Negro. 

Zooming into some of the themes explored in his works  

As previously mentioned, one of the main themes he explored in depth in a panoply of his work was racial discrimination. He not only wrote from personal experience, but was also able to convey from an objective point of view, developing constructed arguments in his essays. For instance, in Go Tell it on the Mountain, his semi-autobiographical novel, Baldwin writes from the perspective of a young black boy, based on himself, but also about the members of his family and their lives in a profoundly prejudicial country, whereas in The Fire Next Time, the author objectively exposes the successes and failures of the Civil Rights Movement and the relations of power and race in the United States. 

Furthermore, Baldwin was one of the first authors to write about homosexuality very openly. Indeed, in the 20th century, queer people were still extremely discriminated both legally and socially, having to hide in order not to suffer violent backlash. In this context, Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room, published in 1956, was extremely controversial as it revolves around homosexuality and the stigma around it.  

Finally, all of the themes present in Baldwin’s work come back to the notion of identity. Indeed, one of the particularities of his writing style was his ability to put inner turmoils into words. Go Tell it on the Mountain and Giovanni’s room are both illustrations of this, as they depict characters who are torn and struggling to find themselves in a world where parts of them are rejected. These deeply personal, human and raw representations of issues like racism and homophobia add depth and impact to the political dimension of his essays. 

His impact in literature 

James Baldwin was a trailblazer, being one of the first to openly discuss the social and political issues of the time without apprehension of backlash. His works started discussions on topics that were often considered taboo and inspired other artists to use their voice to bring forth awareness. As such, he is largely considered a pillar of African-American literature, being one of the first African American artists to have such an impact and becoming a representative for marginalized communities.  

On top of this, he was a crucial actor in the Civil Rights Movement through his writing and speeches. This movement truly shook the status quo, and, without it, society would not have evolved the way it did. In his involvement with the movement, Baldwin took a pacifist standpoint on all the issues he discussed and rooted, above all, for justice, freedom and brotherhood: he took a clear stance against racial prejudice suffered by African American citizens, but also distanced himself from his friend Malcom X’s more radical ideas. Indeed, whereas the Nation of Islam was a separatist movement that deemed white people as immune to virtue, Baldwin stood for equality – “The dream, the sentiment is old (…) Only the color is new.”-, as he once wrote. Through his works, Baldwin impacted the artistic and intellectual traditions in American society and the simple but vital values he defended are still relevant in today’s society. 

Conclusion 

James Baldwin was one of a kind. He was not only a praised writer, with a lyrical, raw, and realistic style, but also a pioneer in African American culture and in the revolutionary Civil Rights Movement. His works had an immense impact on society at the time and represent an extremely valuable legacy.  

---

Sources  

• Go Tell It on a Mountain, Giovanni’s room and The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin, Discourse Magazine, National Museum of African American History and Culture , USA Today 

 

Turn of the Tide is everywhere. The new Portuguese Netflix show, which is beating national records, proclaimed its spot in the world’s top ten non-English shows of Netflix the previous week. The series created by Augusto Fraga follows the life of Eduardo (José Condessa) and his friends: Sílvia (Helena Caldeira), Carlinhos (André Leitão) and Rafael (Rodrigo Tomás), whose lives transform with the arrival of a ton of cocaine to their quiet village, Rabo de Peixe.  

The launch of the seven episodes has brought back discussion about the events that inspired the TV series, unveiling forgotten journalistic work that aimed to demystify and portray the case and its repercussions. 

Rabo de Peixe is situated on the north coast of the island of São Miguel, in Azores, and more specifically, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. In 2001, the village’s main activity was fishing, and nowadays, it continues to be a prominent source of economic activity.  

2001 was also the year in which a Sun Kiss 47 yacht that was carrying on board more than 500 kg of 80% pure cocaine appeared on the scene of the peaceful village. Antonio Quinci, an Italian drug dealer, was transporting its cargo from Venezuela to Spain and, on its way, was forced to make an unprogrammed stop in the island of São Miguel because of damages on the rudder. Aware of the fact that it would be impossible to go directly into the harbor due to the content in its possession, Antonio decides to hide the contraband in a cave in Pilar da Bretanha and pick it up later.  

The police investigation stated that the bales of cocaine were bound by an anchor beneath the water and tied by fishing nets and chains, but as the waves started to pound the inlets, the netting securing the bales unraveled. Suddenly, dozens of packages were spreading throughout 70 kilometers of coast, having many people reporting it back to the authorities, and some not. 

Initially a fisherman discovers the hiding place for some of the drugs and alerts the authorities, which eventually leads to many more substantial information from the citizens. In the end of the operation the authorities reported a total amount of marginally less than 500 kg of cocaine, the value that stayed on the official record. However, many believe that number to be inaccurate and that due to the complexion of the boat, it should be way larger.  

All of a sudden, statements about the uses of the cocaine that wasn´t apprehended were circulating all over the island. Nowadays, many of the stories that reach us are more of combination of fact and fiction. Small drug dealers multiplied, and the drug became more accessible: From small beer glasses filled with the drug and selling packets of cigarettes full of cocaine (500 escudos) to stupider claims, such as frying meat with the powder instead of flour. 

That spike on the offer of drugs augmented the number of overdoses for a while, taking the hospitals into a state of alarm. There were claims that almost every day someone would enter the hospital in a delusional state, mostly because of a mixture of cocaine with opposite effect drugs, as heroine or tranquilizers.  

Still working on finding the cocaine that remained on the island, the police came across a package hidden under a fake hall on a yacht, which lead them to Antonio Quinci. Two weeks after his arrest, Antonio climbed the prison wall into freedom, and jumped into a waiting scooter. The guards didn´t end the rescue because they were afraid of accidently shooting the citizens passing by. But can one really escape from an island? Fifteen days after, with the hope of catching him becoming fairly low, the fugitive was found: Two cops went to a house where there was suspicion of a man being in possession of cocaine, and while inspecting the hen house, they found Antonio. The convicted went back to jail, where he would end up serving a sentence of ten years in Coimbra.  

The effects that the case had on the island cannot be measured. Some lived it through stories and through friends, having no direct impact on their lives. However, the events have certainly introduced an addiction that, otherwise, wouldn’t find a way of prospering on that island in Azores.  

Webgrafia:

Matthew Bremner, Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life of an island, The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/10/blow-up-how-half-a-tonne-of-cocaine-transformed-the-life-of-an-island

Macarena Lozano, Rebeca Queimaliños, translated by Heather Galloway, Snow blind: how half a ton of cocaine destroyed a tiny Portuguese island, El País https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/08/inenglish/1512720697_264543.html

Luís Ribeiro, Quando a coca deu à costa, Visão https://visao.pt/atualidade/sociedade/2023-05-26-uma-equipa-de-reporteres-da-visao-estava-em-rabo-de-peixe-quando-a-coca-deu-a-costa-e-fez-a-reportagem/

Carolina Amado, Rabo de Peixe lembra cicatrizes, mas “nunca a comunidade se sentiu tão abraçada”, Público Rabo de Peixe lembra cicatrizes, mas “nunca a comunidade se sentiu tão abraçada” | São Miguel | PÚBLICO (publico.pt)