meethapani

Art and Censorship   As a norm, society does not take art or artists very seriously – entertaining,   stimulating, thought provoking, patronized by a select few , but hardly in the same company as economists, politicians and other influential professionals . It then comes as a surprise when art is removed, censored or destroyed, implying it has great power or influence on the very society that marginalizes its relevance.   More direct criticism is expressed by journalists and politicians, whereas the artist is essentially pleading for a sense of humanity to prevail. The most influential analysis of censorship is John Milton’s   Aeropagitca ( 1644) in which he asserts censorship inhibits the search for truth.   He gave four reasons for censorship. The first is a moral reason, to protect the Supreme Idea – the values of a society taught from childhood and constantly re-affirmed .   An artist must not threaten social discipline which is based on uni...

The   Art   of Forgetting Most people experience the anxiety and fear of losing their memory.    School children, orators, stage actors, and performers cultivate personal systems to ensure they can recall facts, scripts or sequences. The moment our elders struggle with recall, we assume the onset of Alzheimer’s or Dementia.   Perhaps it’s a residual belief from Greek mythology   of   Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness   of the Underworld   that leads to a state of complete oblivion. So much research has been done on methods to sharpen one’s memory as an essential ingredient   for developing intelligence.   However, more and more research is focusing on the benefits of forgetting. Ingrid Wickelgren, author of Forgetting is Key to a Healthy Mind   argues “The ability to let go of thoughts and remembrances supports a sound state of mind, a sharp intellect— and even superior memory”.   Neuroscientists, Blake Richards...

The Fate of Stolen Treasures Should art and artifacts that were looted, or dubiously purchased   during colonial periods be returned to their countries of origin? That was the topic of debate at a recent dinner hosted for a German   visitor working at the controversial new Humboldt ethnographic   Museum in Berlin.   The Parthenon Marbles of Greece, and the Egyptian Rosetta Stone at the British Museum: the bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti   and the Babylonian Ishtar Gate   in Berlin, the Kohinoor   Diamond now in the crown of the Queen of England   are the more known objects at the centre of the tug of war.   However there are tens of thousands of objects in Museums and private collections across the world that were taken by force or subterfuge. In Roman times museums or ‘seat of the muses’, were places for philosophical discussion. By the 17 C European museums housed curiosities collected from all over the world.   The pub...