Luxury Versus Necesity in Society

The first artist came to be because society could support them. In our latest Praxis lecture, the teacher talked about how there is an economic basis for culture; because artists do not create their own means and therefore reveal a relatively sophisticated society (paraphrased, Paul A. Cantor).

This lecture acknowledged that commercialization is more often than not good for the creation of art, as is capitalism. Both these force an artist to perform well to create valuable work that others are willing to sacrifice a hard-earned dollar for. 

A lasting thought I had concerned Paul’s quote: “The line between artists and non-artists is increasingly blurred” (Cantor). That is, as our society becomes even more sophisticated, we see an increased layer of luxury in almost everything around us. From homes to food, to clothing, these all used to be, and sometimes still are, based on function, but often now brands are based on how they are able to make these good look.

As a whole, this lecture helped me better understand art’s place in history and culture and even economics, which was something I hadn’t really internalized before.