Decline of the West

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Homelessness is an imposition upon the good nature of everyone who is not homeless. I have strong feelings about it and, as an artist, concern for the feelings of everyone about homelessness. I must admit I am helpless to do anything about the homeless. Homelessness is, or should be, a civil matter. Independent giving may feel good–but it is not legitimate. One doesn't have to be a meddler to be concerned, or to become an activist, of sorts.

What is to be done? Make propaganda! My artwork is my propaganda. It is a message. It is also, incidentally, aesthetic. I understand that the era of great art is over. This is not to eulogize over the glories of the past. It is a program for the present. Today, all art is either propaganda, or it is decorative. This is not to compare one to the other, but to contrast both to fine art, which, as said, is no longer an option.

A word, in passing, about fine art. Masterpiece art was an achievement, culturally and personally, for the patron and the artist. At the same time, it was as specific to its historical circumstances as its successor is, today. That is the theory of art history, how it begins, flourishes, and declines. 

As a practical matter history repeats itself. The art of Greece and Rome is a perennial example of the theory. According to theory, the heroic art of the Greeks represents the fine art phase of art history. The Romans represent the decorative and propaganda phase. Distinguishing between them is a task for the art historian–a distinction sometimes hotly contested.

One definition about which all can agree is that the art of pagan Greece and Rome was an instrument of political power. It was propaganda. The Greeks knew it before the Romans, but the projection of power through art was perfected by the Caesars. Typically, the final touch upon successful conquest of a foreign state was the erection of a statue of Mars or Jupiter in the agora of the subdued people. 

The statue of a pagan god, in turn, was a tribute to Caesar, a reminder given to the populace in no uncertain terms of who was boss. The lesson was not lost on history. The hardness of it was but slightly reduced over the succeeding centuries, allowing for liberal developments like freedom of speech. The ensuing effectiveness of artistic propaganda remains as strong, if not stronger, than ever.

The graphic art of Brian Higgins can be viewed at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/8-brian-higgins
One-of-a-kind works of art can be viewed at: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/1840403

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