Though, it is advocated by few people that artists should be given unlimited freedom, in order to nurture and develop their creativity, I am of the opinion that they should be entitled to adequate freedom bound with responsible expression of their ideas and thoughts, which are to be curbed by ethical, social and moral guidelines for the benefit of the broader society.
Art in any form, such as painting, music, theatre aims to depict the creator’s perspective to a targeted audience, which historically has served as both eye openers and influencers, leading to a change of mind or attitude. For example, artists have persistently advocated equal rights for women, rights for the socially oppressed, inclusion and diversity of varied forms. These liberal expressions, eventually have evolved people’s thoughts, outlook and perspectives to life. Furthermore, even laws of the land were influenced due to responsible action in art, in order to bring about reforms to further our social standards. Therefore, art undoubtedly is a pivotal form of expression and artists should be given a freehand to express their thoughts, without limitations, around any given subject.
Nevertheless, it is critical to be aware that artworks can trigger social discord and provoke violence, if not checked, hence they should be bound by moral and social values as a guideline. For example, an artform which depicted a Goddess in nudity by a famous artist, provoked communal disturbances and led to a lot of casualties, which could have been averted had the artist acted within certain norms. Moreover, artists now a days enjoy a wider reach, owing to social media, as their work can be published online in a short period of time as compared to contemporary methods. This development and reach make it all the more crucial that artist’s act with immense sense of responsibility and without checks and balances being monitored, the society could face dire consequences as a result of “freedom”.
To conclude, while I believe that artists should be given adequate liberty in expressing their work and opinions though portraying their ideas though a variety of platforms, however, there should be a watchdog who is to monitor their work to be within certain laid out guidelines. Ultimately the artist needs to realize that greater freedom calls for greater responsibility.