Perhaps I should have used another word – decay. There is a brilliant phrase by the great Ernst Fischer: “In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it.”
I hold these words quite close to my heart. And I do believe they have some truth in them. If there really is any pure and good result of the ascension of our species to dominance, it is Art. It is our saving grace, if you will.
And without it, we are nothing...
You might not believe in that. But try to imagine our world without music, for example. Forget that people dance or sing, or play instruments.
There are other examples. This extrapolation may be taken a step further. And then another, and then another. I believe I’ve made my point; the world would be a much sadder, greyer place, if Art, in all its diverse and wonderful mediums, had never come to life.
The true reason for my great faith in the power of Art is that it seems to always have an influence on us. It may lead you to disaster, it may lead you down the wrong path. Yet, in its most potent and truest form, Art shall bestow upon you the need to be a better human being.
Such, I think, is the true power of Art...
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