Open letter to the editor of Art Lies

Jennifer Bartlett, Democrat

moderationsmuse, Republican

Jean duc de Berry, affiliation unknown


Dear Art Lies editor:

"I don't think the following statement will come as too much of a shock to the ARTLIES readership: most artists are not Republicans," wrote Kelly Klassmeyer in Issue 44. I only just now learned about your publication when I "Googled" that question myself. Who are the Republican artists? Well, I write so that you need no longer be in the dark about artists and political affiliation. Please report to Kelly Klassmeyer, that indeed some artists are Republicans. I am. I voted for Bush. Have never regretted it. Indeed, whenever I see Al Gore making another self-aggrandising, grand self-serving gesture to "save the planet," (where was he when the dinosaurs needed him?) I am more than ever glad at the decision I made. I did not vote so much for Bush as against Gore, and later Kerry, but the very fact that the Democrats selected these very problematic candidates points toward a deep dis-function on the Dem side.
Anyway, why doesn't one hear more about Republican artists? I'll tell you why. Intimidation. The self-selected "hip" people have declared, just as your publication does, that artists are not Republicans. To announce the contrary causes a person more trouble than it's worth. And thus, artists like me who find themselves nearer the Republican side of the equation than to the Democrat are content to take our views to the voting booth. (The only place where it really matters, after all.)

I am constantly surprised at how readily various artists jump at the chance to be "progressive." But, stereotypes aside, many artists are really quite timid people who find not just their political views but their artistic ones from the "in" crowd. The genuine artist, the one dedicated to creating an image somehow connected to truth, one who is interested in exploring the visual world, searching for real ideas and not cliches, such a person is really quite rare. A thoughtful person might be a Democrat or a Republican, but genuine people makes these choices based upon authentic conviction and not based upon what the hip crowd dictates.

My own views are ones I'd characterize as moderate, hence my pseudonym. I lean toward the Republican party in its support for life (I will never understand the cruelty of the abortion lobby). I am a proponent of individual liberty, of local government, of limited government, of self-reliance and self-esteem. Above all things, I'm in favor of freedom, something that I see Republicans defending more than Democrats.

The Democratic party has become a retro-coalition of competing and mutually hostile interest groups, of self-hypnotized "victims." Klassmeyer appeals to the stereotype of the "rich" Republican, but actually a recent survey showed what simple observation also reveals -- that actually above average income groups tend to vote Democratic. The two "coasts" tend to vote Democratic, and they are also the most expensive regions in which to live. "Rich" is also a label that is conveniently never applied to people like actor George Clooney, Senator Ted Kennedy or Speaker Pelosi -- all of whom are of course millionaires.

Well, anyway, I just thought someone real ought to write to let you know that Republican artists exist, though I'm probably not as much a Republican as your stereotypical artist is a Democrat, because I am not particularly ideological, being a firm believer that the truth is a nuanced thing that ideologues are not likely to find.

I think your article is intimidating so don't expect to hear many other Republican artists chiming in. However, you might benefit from asking yourselves some soul searching questions such as "why has "art" become this elitist thing that is unrelated to the lives of ordinary people?" Indeed, why isn't "life" of interest to "artists" anymore? Why is everything so exaggerated, so mean-spirited, so "hip," so trendy? Isn't it the "environmentally sensitive" Democratic party that defines and defends the "art" of putting a dead shark into a tank of formaldehye? The really great artists of the past were singularities. In all honesty, who is a "great" artist today?

Do we know or care what were the political views of Vermeer, or Titian, or Winslow Homer, or Jean Fouquet, or Adam Elsheimer or Matisse? Their politics are not relevant to the enduring and humane art they created, and this is still true of artists today. The really great artists of the present (whoever they are) are making images that speak to people in genuine ways. It used to be believed that politics diminished this higher view of life. It's a viewpoint that needs a comeback. Maybe then we'll have real artists making real art again, and we won't ask or care how they voted.

Best wishes,

moderationsmuse (pseudonym of an artist living on the East Coast)

The art lies article I referenced can be found here.

For more information about Jennifer Bartlett, a Democrat (the artist did a smallish, personal fundraiser for Al Gore in the 2000 race), click here.