Society: an artist's playground

Society is what surrounds and supports us. Whether one is alive or dead it is still there to surround and support the ones that are left over. Society can confuse us, it can enlighten us but for artists it inspires. Look at any artwork and I bet you can find at least one thing that relates to you. The artist may have not even intended for this to happen, but it still did. This is become humans are naturally concerned about how something affects them before anything else. It's an instinct to think about yourself first.

To me a perfect example of this is Andy Warhol. Without society's growth towards consumerism, he would have never produced the work he did produce today. His work was merely a reaction and response to society's behaviour, trends and way of living. Take the Marilyn Monroe series; their everlasting popularity stems from our admiration and adoration for this unforgettable female actrice. Or even his "Campbell Soup", it's only a product that completed the American household at that time. People were already familiar with Warhol's subject matters.

The next time you look at an artwork, forget the artwork. You're looking at a reflection of yourself and your behaviour. Now, don't feel accused by this because the artist doesn't intend to point the finger at anyone. In effect, artists often step back to look at the bigger picture and interpret general society, not just you. However, if you did feel a certain connection to your life and emotions then great, you learnt something new about yourself. An artwork will always be the mirror of society. When it gets too personal, that's when people start criticising. They can't handle being faced with the truth that is their life. So they overlook it and go to the nearest outlet to write a critique about the piece. Funnily enough, this is what artists love: criticism. They long to move and trigger individuals. A critique means that the artist has managed to awaken emotion in his audience without a word. Call them self-absorbed but they may be the only ones brave enough to step out of society and look at it from above to realise what is actually going on.

Society needs Art and artists, while artists need society.

One cannot exist without the other.