"It is the artist, not the critic,* who gives society something of lasting value."
*a person who evaluates works of art, such as novels, films, music, paintings, etc.
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Issue 144 :The first para
When it comes to the issue that whether it's the artist or the critic who gives the society something of lasting value,people from all culture and all periods of history have offered many different answers to it .Howerver ,after discreet weighing about their contributions to the development and function of art ,the artists who originatively embody the world with their outstanding creativity and fantastic imagination undoubtedly to excel the critics who feedback to their works .
Issue 144 :The second para
Art,the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea ,emotion ,or visually interesting form.Creativity is the soul of art,so we say a sleeping of creativity is a weakness in art.Without the creative activities of the artists ,there will not be any piece of artistic creation,and then it will be meaningless to talk about the values which were created or embodied by artistic works.
Issue 144 :The third para
The real artists,with the fantastic imagination,are able to observe the world and perceive things from a particular angle.For example,they can feel time elapsing when looking at flowing river,they can hear their lovers' murmur in the sound of wind.The beggar walking in the street can remind them of the pathetic life .The round moon hanging in sky just like a mirror in their eyes and in the mirror they can see their friends living far away.But the real artists,have not only fantastic imagination ,but also outstanding creativity.Based on their imagivation and special artistic skill, they can create numerous great works embodying the ture value of the nature and human life.It's beauty and peace in the painting of Mona Lisa,undying will in the Fifth Symphony of Beethoven,the power and virility in the Michelangilo's sculpture of David,etc.All of these lasting value in our history,are embodied in those great works always deeply impressing us.These diamonds of art,would not be existed without the imagination,creativity and special skill of the artists.
Issue 144 :The fourth para
The critics,as it seems ,is relatively assistant to the presentation of artists.For most great works,the meaning of them are underlying and is they are not easy to comprehended by commond people.Thus it's very important for the critics to reveal and to illustrated the meaning of the artists.
Issue 144 :The fifth para
Every coin has two side.Also it's the same when it comes to the critic's affection to the works of the artist:the positive and the negative .
On the positive side,the critics classify and estimate works; they criticize and appreciate. They help people to chose the ones which are most suitable to them; they illustrate the hidden meaning of the portray in artist's expression. They are the communicative path between artists and common people, and they push the art go forward by suggesting and reflection.
But on the negative side,critics sometimes are not contributing but exerting adverse functions. The art is innovative and developmental, while it is understandable for certain critics to hold the traditional viewpoint which is essentially objective to such originative product. This kind of encumbrance, apparently, strives to make the artistic trend reversed conflicting with the professional process. Shakespeare’s work has been dismissed by Voltaire, who labeled his work as nonconforming neo-classical principles, yet his achievement is obviously remarkable; Mark Twain's novels are realistic and reflected the corruption of government, which provoked the political denunciation by critics operated by the government.
Issue 144 :The last para
In sum, the lasting value of society is, as the author indicated, given by artists who creatively and skillfully representing the real world in artistic expression, while the critics only serve as assistant for the communication between the mass and artists, sometimes even counteractive for they are not innovative enough or operated by the government in some instance
