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Document 34
Document 34
Jamard Williams
ENGL-1301-40027
17 November 2023
Art Censorship It can be argued that “Art should offend people because art should challenge
people” (salle). When it comes to art, artists will strive to express a strong message of triumph, fear, and
hope. Art is a tool to be used to share thoughts and morality examination with others. Sarah McLaughlin
“On January 27, 2023, had entered an exhibition by Iranian American artist Taravat Talepasand that
opened in Macalester College's Law Warsaw gallery”; she used her art to express her morality question
about women in the Muslim culture by showing her thoughts and fear of how women currently stand in
Muslim society. Those of the Muslim backgrounds found her art ‘’offensive’’ to them and their culture
and expressed outrage and desire for its emitted removal. Her art comments on the thought of change in a
woman’s role, and how they are treated in Muslim culture but was perceived as an offensive attack of the
culture viwers chose to dispute the purpose and message of the art because there were those who did not
care for what the art had to say. There are those who would argue that art should be censored but in doing
so completely neglecting the message of the artist. Art censorship is driven from missed cauterization,
How would one classify art as harmful and offensive? What about the art that triggered that
response? Is the imagery or is it the message in the art influencing what an individual can find to be
unacceptable? "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable," said the Mexican poet and
academic Cesar A. (Cruz). Art is as complex as the people who create it, not some black-and-white
subject that one can say is right or wrong. As multifaceted as people are, the same can be said about the
art that people create. Some art viewers of the art who hastily conclude art without first trying to
understand it. Some viewers come to quickly label an art piece harmful without understanding what it is
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about the art that they perceive as dangerous. At most all it would take for someone to dislike an artwork
is a single thing they found disagreeable. Leading to a slur of unfair and biased opinions
Some may express disagreement with “Art that is constantly [depicting] harsh visuals are
degrading and shows no true attention to delivering a message but to just disturb viewers failing to realize
the use of strong imagery to leave a long-lasting impact of the art onto its viewers” (Grace). The history
of artists has always portrayed a strong use of impactful imagery, never fearing to be as graphic as
possible to use that shock and awe factor to grip their viewers’ attention. Stronger and more vivid images
have always been an aspect of art that leaves long-lasting thoughts of an artist's art. People while
traversing the art world are bound to come across many diverse types of art and not all they may come
across will be to their liking. There will never come a day when everyone will come across art that does
People will always argue that there is art that crasses the line in doning so upsets and infuriates
it viwers (Smith). In most cases when it comes to art, we find unappealing it is less about the art itself
and more towards the message art is trying to convey. We as people are quick to disagree and that tends
to shine through there most of the time in heated debates. Also, there are more than just a few debates in
Once coming into view with the mothers sharing their stories about the loved ones they lost, it was their
sons, broth the art world. Within these heated debates, we can easily blur the line of opinion by
completely losing the message of what the artist implies to the viwers through their artwork.
Overall, “Art should offend people because art should challenge people” (salle). Art may come
across as vaguer to those who may not understand it but for those who do it is a message of triumph, fear,
and hope.
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Works Cited
Camp, Emma. “After Muslim Students Complained That an Art Exhibit Was ‘Harmful,’ Macalester
complained-that-an-art-exhibit-washarmful-macalester-college-shut-it-down/.
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/eriq_la_salle_352172
Network, The Learning. “What Should Be Done with Art That Offends? Students Debate.” The New
that-offends-students-debate.html.
Smith, Roberta. “Should Art That Infuriates Be Removed?” The New York Times, 27 Mar. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/arts/design/emmett-till-whitney-biennial-schutz.html