I believe that artists (this includes writers, painters, musicians, etc.) are the mouthpiece of their culture. Their role is to convey messages to society that otherwise would go unheard, or perhaps cannot be said. That is why Plato believed artists to be dangerous to society as well as why communist governments strictly regulate any art within their countries. An artist has the power to evoke and control the emotions, thoughts, and ideas of people. Thus, it is evident that they have great power in society, even though they are often mistaken to be inferiors of “intellectuals” (I could argue that artists are just as intellectual as any scientist, but that is for another assignment).

Like politicians or anyone else with power, artists are also very capable of misusing their power. For example, Mao’s Little Red Book stirred up the cultural revolution in China, causing the deaths of millions. It could also be argued that the character of Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello, is an artist. I believe that his ability to so cleverly manipulate thoughts and emotions while deftly spinning complex plots and lies is nothing short of artistic genius. Unfortunately, Iago chose to use his creative brilliance for malicious ends, resulting in devastating consequences for all the characters of the play. Sometimes an artist will mean well, but the outcome of their well meaning will still have a negative effect. For example, in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Basil paints a portrait of his friend because he finds Dorian’s innocence beautiful and wants to preserve his youth. However, as the plot unfolds, Dorian’s falls deeper and deeper into corruption because he believes he has no consequences to face since the picture depicts his moral decay while his exterior remains beautiful. Basil had good intentions and never meant to cause so much wrong, but by the time he realizes his grave mistake, it is already too late.

There is evidence of the great power that rests within artists. As far as contemporary artists, I think it is a shame that our culture has reduced artists into mere entertainers, only celebrating that which satisfies their shock value or goes along popular opinion. However, we examine historical art in order to come to a conclusion about the nature of a society, and even in this state, our contemporary artists still say a lot about our society and mainstream way of thinking.