Can you ever separate the art from the artist?

Not sure I've seen on PP but it is an old question, going back centuries over all sorts of art.  And there is a wider question can some who has done bad things in one sphere, do good things in another? Can someone who has done evil ever be redeemed ? 

I don't know much about Dahl. I know he was in the RAF during WWII so fought against the Nazis. Not sure if we'd prefer "Hated Nazis but didn't like Jews either"  or "had lots of Jewish friends but was soft on Fascism". Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the great glass elevator were two of my favourite books as a kid, Matilda was my daughter's favourite. If he had some nasty views they didn't come through in his writing, and the things that do come through I think are things I'm quite happy for my kids to pick up. Enid Blyton seems to have been cancelled in a lot of places (some of her stuff really belongs in the another century), but who was the first gender non-binary person people of my age came across ? George in the Famous Five :-)  One set of people want to cancel JK Rowling for her views (while another set want to celebrate her for the very same views), does it change whether the Harry Potter books are good or bad?

There have been artists who we pretty repugnant people - Eric Gill's name often comes up in this context, painting and the visual arts have a long trail of dreadful people. Stephen Fry I remember saying Wagner was a "guilty pleasure" because Hitler liked the same music... Wagner had some strange ideas but that's over doing it a bit. I don't like some musicians and actors who are bores about political issues, but primarily because they're bores.   

According to Wikipedia Dahl considered himself to be anti Israel rather than anti Jewish (and recent months that doesn't seem to be freakish position) and made some observations which today might not be good to say but when they uttered were not controversial.  If you dig deeply enough into anyone interesting who's been dead for a while you'll find something you don't like, so I'm all for celebrating his books, and letting his views go to the grave with him. 

Leni Riefenstahl

Good documentary photographer.

Last of the Nuba:

However, her film "Triumph of the Will" didn't do her career too much good in the long run:

All Good points.  I’ll raise you Caravaggio (murderer), Rabbie Burns (serial adulterer), Wodehouse (Nazi propagandist), Gill (already mentioned and on my bookshelves), Spender (domestic abuser) and these are just ‘imperfect’ artists that I like and have representations of in my house.

I like several songs from artists I dislike.

The Portrait Cowboy said

I like several songs from artists I dislike.

Name names of your guilty secrets 🫣

Seperate Art from Artists! I think you can in some cases.

I love the work of Patrick Demarchelier who photographed a LOT of famous people and was one of the great photographers,
About 4 years before his death several models accoused him of sexual harassment claims he denied and he subsequently got dropped by a mass media company that controled Vouge, Vanity Fair and others.    I dont know if he was guilty or not, he might be a nice guy or a horrible guy,  but it does not change the fact he had amazing photos.
The photos and his art dont suddenly become rubbish just because you find out something negative about him.

Michael Jackson -  All the weirdness and claims about what he might or might not have done over the years,  he was still an amazing artist his songs were still great.
Elvis and many rock and countless sex drugs and rock n roll bands and the young ages of ladies they may socalised with,  they music still wildly popular when they were famous.

~B

Edited by Bullets

This is a dangerous road to go down without thinking it through.

Gary Glitter?

Or in a different field, Jimmy Savile?

Bullets said

Seperate Art from Artists! I think you can in some cases.

Michael Jackson -  All the weirdness and claims about what he might or might not have done over the years,  he was still an amazing artist his songs were still great...

Yep. Agreed.

And... I was always a huge fan of the late Chuck Berry. But I get the impression he wasn't the nicest person the world has ever seen. 

Carlos I’ll raise you Matthew ‘Ferris Bueller Wargames’ Broderick - killed a mother and daughter.

It's difficult sometimes. Ones of my favourite bands used to be Lostprophets ... I still love a couple songs but they are never played and it's understandable why.

The lead singer turned out to be a major pedo , and we're talking babies ... It's very difficult to get that out of your head.

I think part of the trouble is we are brought up to believe good guys wear white hats and baddies wear black. Real life is somewhat more nuanced. Even the most monstrous criminals do good, even saints blot their copy books. Most of us do both good and bad things. Perhaps we should leave judgement to divine beings and the criminal courts. "Woke" politics are the modern equivalent of lynch mobs.

Kirk Schwarz said

Carlos I’ll raise you Matthew ‘Ferris Bueller Wargames’ Broderick - killed a mother and daughter.

If we count people who've had major car accidents we're going to be in trouble.  

LifeModel said

I think part of the trouble is we are brought up to believe good guys wear white hats and baddies wear black. Real life is somewhat more nuanced. Even the most monstrous criminals do good, even saints blot their copy books. Most of us do both good and bad things. Perhaps we should leave judgement to divine beings and the criminal courts. "Woke" politics are the modern equivalent of lynch mobs.

Yeh.  I did think about including ‘secular saints’ in my question ….not just artists.  Martin Luther King sprung to mind…..outrageously adulterous…..the Pope in the aftermath of WW2 ………who helped the Nazi Ratline work so efficiently……….Mahatma Gandhi…….the ultimate racist (or should that be cast-ist?)…….any one of the many kings and rulers of West African nations and kingdoms that enslaved their fellows, brought them to Atlantic Ports and sold them to the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch and, yes, the British.  I’m sure there are more but it’s late….

Edited by Carlos

Carlos said

LifeModel said

I think part of the trouble is we are brought up to believe good guys wear white hats and baddies wear black. Real life is somewhat more nuanced. Even the most monstrous criminals do good, even saints blot their copy books. Most of us do both good and bad things. Perhaps we should leave judgement to divine beings and the criminal courts. "Woke" politics are the modern equivalent of lynch mobs.

Yeh.  I did think about including ‘secular saints’ in my question ….not just artists.  Martin Luther King sprung to mind…..outrageously adulterous…..the Pope in the aftermath of WW2 ………who help the Nazi Ratline work so efficiently……….Mahatma Gandhi…….the ultimate racist (or should that be cast-ist?)…….any one of the many kings and rulers of West African nations and kingdoms that enslaved their fellows, brought them to Atlantic Ports and sold them to the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch and, yes, the British.

You could as easily add, say, Mother Theresa or Winston Churchill to that list.

Of course as time goes by, general perceptions of right and wrong change, which has tarnished the reputation of many considered saints and heroes in their day.

CalmNudes assuming it was an accident - the original charge was death by dangerous driving, suggested by some to be wrong side of the road.

But I agree, and likewise by monogamy failures. Might be a dick move, but that’s just a part of the general human condition.