Shostakovich, Britten, Stravinsky and the painters in between : 1936

Abstract

This work deals with the subversive nature of art. The essay is built upon the concept that art by its own definition is subversive, and that an eternal tragic relationship has always existed between the artist and state power, whether totalitarian or democratic. The power structure of society has to take this dangerous character of art into account. On the other hand, the artist is constantly challenging, sometimes tragically, such roots of power. This association between art and power is rooted in the attitude that art takes towards reality. Art’s definition of reality determines the artist’s approach. Art is a mode of perceiving. Perception is integrally linked to our established structures of thought. A change in one ripples over the other. [Excerpt from the introduction]