It should come as no big surprise that many creative, driven people are a complex manifestation of their personality and environment. Artists often create as a way of dealing with their pain – they are trying to understand and control their world, and often that world has proven to be overwhelmingly dangerous and chaotic.
It is also no surprise that, like all humans, artists are complicated and flawed. And therein lies the conundrum…
Does our appreciation for the art diminish if we discover the artist has done unforgivable things?
For example, if the artist is a racist, do we turn our back on their art? What if, prior to discovering this, we loved what they created and it profoundly enriched our lives? What if they beat their wives? Or were pedophiles? Or supported sociopathic tyrants?
I’m going to cut to the chase here and state my position clearly.
All that that matters is the art.
We are all imperfect and flawed, but what we strive to create is not bound and defined by these flaws – it is our attempt to transcend them.