[TomTextura]

From my experience, it seems like most of the artists for whom I have an appreciation—be they photographers, musicians, or whatever—if they let their politics be known at all, they always end up being left leaning and fairly liberal. I wonder what this means, if anything?

I've seen several studies about how the conservative mind is different from the liberal mind(1,2,3). I'm curious what opinions you might have about the creative and artistic talents of liberal leaning people compared to those of conservative types. If you know of any similar studies or writings but framed around the artistic functions of the brain, I'd definitely be interested. Any psychologists, professional or arm-chair, on the forum? I am also very interested in hearing from conservatives, especially if you have examples of talented artists, or are one yourself, who are outwardly conservative.

[D0n]

From my experience, it seems like most of the artists for whom I have an appreciation—be they photographers, musicians, or whatever—if they let their politics be known at all, they always end up being left leaning and fairly liberal. I wonder what this means, if anything?

I've seen several studies about how the conservative mind is different from the liberal mind(1,2,3). I'm curious what opinions you might have about the creative and artistic talents of liberal leaning people compared to those of conservative types. If you know of any similar studies or writings but framed around the artistic functions of the brain, I'd definitely be interested. Any psychologists, professional or arm-chair, on the forum? I am also very interested in hearing from conservatives, especially if you have examples of talented artists, or are one yourself, who are outwardly conservative.

it means non-liberals want to cut grants to artists......

[mikemike]

Ronald Reagan comes to mind as a conservative artist.

I would also say that if you listen to the lyrical content of a lot of rap music it is not liberal, it is about unapologetically enjoying wealth and success in addition it is pro-gun and anti-hater (a hater is someone who is upset at them for being successful and wealthy i.e. liberals who want to spread the wealth around); rap music doesn't really fit perfectly into the traditional republican conservatism because of pro-drug and other bohemian themes but it is pretty libertarian. Snoop Dogg endorsed Ron Paul for president and so have a handful of other rappers such as Speech and Wale to name a few.

There are also "south park republicans" although the creators of south park are on the record as saying they are independent (trey parker is a registered libertarian):

Q: Are you two guys liberal or conservative? Me and my friends have had debates about this.
Parker: We avoid extremes but we hate liberals more than conservatives and we hate them [conservatives].
Stone: I hate conservatives but I really ****ing hate liberals.

They did work through the writers strike since they are not members of the writers union...

Barry Goldwater was a photographer you can see some of his work here: http://www.barrygoldwaterphotographs.com/index_bmg.html
Here is a picture he took of Kennedy

Ten Valuable John F. Kennedy Collectibles
And here is JFK's response:

For Barry Goldwater – Whom I urge to follow the career for which he has shown such talent – photography! – from his friend – John Kennedy.

In general, at least in the USA, the art industry's gatekeepers and taste makers are liberal and expressing conservative opinions can make you a persona non grata in those circles so very few who want to be commercially successful are brave enough to stand up to the peer pressure making it hard to get an accurate read on political opinions.

I'm sure there are conservatives who excel in every field of art whether or not they feel comfortably being open about there conservativism and whether or not you respect or appreciate there art is another matter.

[riff]

Ted Nugent

oh wait.... you said talented and artist .

[boriscleto]

I don't know what you're getting at. Most of the best con-artists are conservatives.

[TomTextura]

it means non-liberals want to cut grants to artists......

All too true, I'm afraid.

@mikemike Interesting analysis of hip-hop's values and messages. You may be onto something about the art industry's gatekeepers favoring liberal voices. I'm sure there are several things making it difficult to get an accurate read on this matter, my own preferences of what I put in front of me not being the least of them. Great example with Barry Goldwater!

Ted Nugent oh wait.... you said talented and artist .

I was waiting for someone to mention the Nugent. Definitely an outspoken conservative but, yeah, I can't say I care to listen to his music or what he has to say politically.

I don't know what you're getting at. Most of the best con-artists are conservatives.

Too funny!

[luftfluss]

"Liberal Arts"

[Nesster]

I'm thinking culturally we are still in an era of the avant-garde having value in the art world. Culturally, also, the usual life of the struggling/starting artist is not exactly in the Republican mold - not financially, not in career choice, and often not in life-style. In the recent decades Republican cultural politics have in effect been anti-artist - and sometimes explicitly anti-art.

However, plenty of Republicans buy plenty of art. And I haven't done enough keeping up to understand if there's a good percentage of the Big Names - Big Money, industrial production methods, and professional marketing - who may find themselves economically agreeing with Republicans. You know, Independents

[magkelly]

No, it's just that the liberal ones are usually more mouthy. There are plenty of very conservative people in the arts. They're just not as vocal as those who live a more liberal lifestyle. Here's a recent list. I was surprised to see a few of the names on there actually...

Conservative Celebrities, Republican Celebrities

[deadwolfbones]

lol @ Reagan as an artist.

[deadwolfbones]

On the real, though, there have been plenty of fascist/right-wing artists throughout history, but since WWII the art community has been almost exclusively liberal. I'm sure there's a very good story/analysis to be found there, but I lack the background to dig it up myself.

[Ratmagiclady]

"Liberal Arts"

That's of course, not what that means.

The phrase 'Liberal Arts' is about the idea that a broad-based education, including the arts and humanities, is a least as valid as the over-specialized within-ever-subdividing disciplines that would be basically about mostly studying one subject: rather like conservatives think that limiting people to fields they 'approve' of like, 'Just be technical,' or 'just be economic,' 'Just do math and a science' ...ie, what they think focuses people on immediate benefit, is supposed to be more 'efficient,' whereas having an idea of context and general development and connection and history and understanding is considered 'wasteful intellectualism' if not some kind of *threat.*


Of course, Mag's list there of 'Conservative celebrities is mostly about people who either aren't artists or are about *performing anger Or legalism.* (They might be disappointed to find out how many of those have come out in favor of marriage equality, conspicuously Clint Eastwood. )

Pretty thin, I think. Unless you're confusing 'success' with 'artistry.' And he's probably the most talented of the bunch. Though I did kind of have an odd crush on Amy Grant as a teen. The years since didn't seem to serve her well that way, though, of getting really all Evangelical Right and all. Be that as it may. I suppose it's pretty noteworthy in this case that it's a rare celebrity or artist that I ever found *less* interesting as they aged.

Anyway. Artistry and things like *humor* really do involve capacities like lateral thinking, empathy, sympathy, connecting different points of view, emotional acuity, expressiveness, sensitivity plus boundary-pushing... exploring new perspectives: none of which are things conservative ideology much values. In fact, often finds, along with the arts, to be suspicious if not actually *threatening.*

It's much like how conservative *humor* is usually limited to 'I'm mocking and insulting you, har har, you have 'no sense of humor' when you treat it as such.'

Right wing 'art' is also almost *invariably* constrained to formula, uniformity, even imposed by controls and ideological correctness. It's why they called it the 'Renaissance' when there was enough *money* involved for the allowed subject matter to expand, and for talented people to push those constraints. (And enough room to get away with it. Corporate formula doesn't often help, but rather tends to kill the spirit of stuff.)

I've always thought there was a certain balance at play in *societies* where a lot of great art comes from artists playing *against* and *within* constraints. ( 'The frame,' even. As a photographer, I've always related this to an idea of often being 'spoiled for choice' if I don't keep it tight. I also relate it to how, musically, I can pretty much pick up any instrument you hand me, and play with feeling, but I don't even have a very consistent sense of *time* in order to do the repetition. But my poetry usually has rhyme, assonance, meter, etc. even patterns about how I break that. )

But, especially by modern definitions, there's something about artistry that is *at odds* with conservative ideology and mindsets. Your Beethovens and Mozarts, even.... Really the 'punk rockers' of their times. This is a pattern that repeats, right down to the cliche of 'the greats' never being popular in their own times.

It's like the difference between being an Elvis fan in the Fifties or Johnny Cash or the Beatles in the *Sixties* versus some of who are on the bandwagon *this century.*

[Ratmagiclady]

On the real, though, there have been plenty of fascist/right-wing artists throughout history, but since WWII the art community has been almost exclusively liberal. I'm sure there's a very good story/analysis to be found there, but I lack the background to dig it up myself.

I think there might be some legitimate question as to whether the original 'Fascist artists' were really being 'Conservative' in their own millieu. The inevitable question of Wagner, for instance... he didn't do his stuff *after* the Right had taken over, he had other agendas and motivations there.... (And again, he's usually associated with expressing *anger* by the Right to this day. )

Conservatives today definitely use a lot of *fascist tactics,* ...and certainly there's Prescott Bush, aligned with the Nazis as part of the very same 'conservative' ideas we see in America... but were the *artists* really of that mindset?

In Italy, there was a lot going on where a lot of the artistic community were interested in the original thing called Fascism that had everything to do with breaking the *Vatican* stranglehold on culture and all that.. I've often wondered how the person I'm being now would have reacted to how all *that* got started in that time and place. For a *while,* actually, there was a lot of talk of bringing back the Old Republic, the Gods included. (Of course, this notion was put away the moment the actual Fascists had the actual control. And of course wanted to keep it by any means. But it was a bit of a part of how it got started. Part of how art and intellect got *used.* By people who perhaps never had any such intentions. Which is of course how Republic turned to Empire in the first place. Someone wanting to be the 'first man in Rome' by military conquest and pageantry.

It's part of why there's inevitably 'purges' when authoritarians get their way, even if they align themselves with or appropriate artists and/or their work. Contrast the 'Velvet Revolution' with what Putin's doing over in Russia right now, with conservative Orthodox Church backing. There's a difference. That difference is authoritarianism vs what makes art.

[jogiba]

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

[D0n]

three signs a civilization has grown too prosperous for it's own good....
1) When grown ups expect the government to tax their fellow citizens so they can get paid for doing things kids do for fun, like drawing, painting, singing or playing sports...
2) When governments spend more money on imprisoning the poor/slaves/minorities than it would cost to pay them to work....
3) When leaders need war abroad to draw attention away from problems caused by mismanagement at home...
then the society is about to collapse.

Archaeologists and historians find evidence of this in many extinct cultures all over the globe....