Can you separate the art from the artist?

By Cecilia Perry

14 March 2024

When our favorite artists, actors, musicians, and writers are being exposed for morally incorrect actions, do we separate them from the art they produced? There is not always a choice when it comes to what art speaks to you and nor when the creators offend you or your beliefs. 

To me, in a world of ‘tortured’ artists, these people are bound to make mistakes, and these mistakes are always going to be exposed to the world when they have everyone's eyes on them. I know this is a broad argument, and many people do not deserve an outlet, but great art is hard to find and I believe we should cherish that. 

As consumers, we have to be mindful of who we give an outlet to and who exactly we praise, but is there a line where we have to separate ourselves? This is a conversation that can be messy and lead to ethical arguments. 

If we take a look at Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, we see some of the greatest music and performances that we still look to today for inspiration. To some, he is considered a musical legend, but to others he was a threat to the moral well being of young women. In light of the recent movie, Priscilla, Elvis was portrayed as abusive and manipulative towards his wife. His relationship with Priscilla, 14, when he was 24, was disturbing and abusive. 

Most people know about how Elvis acted in his personal life. They are aware of how he was in his relationship with Priscilla, but choose to ignore it when they listen to his music. I know for me, I grew up listening to Elvis. I have memories of my grandfather playing Jailhouse Rock on his radio, while my cousins and I were dancing along to it. His music is legendary and has created a culture for listeners for decades, and many are able to separate his art from his abusive past.

Other artists like Kanye West have received immense amounts of criticism from the public. Kanye's racist comments are disgusting, but for his avid listeners, being able to stop listening to him all together is pretty hard. Personally, I do not think that he should continue to get paid for his actions, but if “Gold Digger” comes on the radio, I catch myself singing along.  

Author William Golding, famous for his book “Lord of the Flies”, had a dark side to him as well. When he was a young man, Golding tried to rape a 15-year old girl and wrote an unpublished book about his violent sexual advances. With this being public information, many still appreciate Golding's art. Lord of the Flies is still taught in schools.

I am not saying that we can ignore the artists' behaviors completely, but we have to be able to acknowledge the arts' impact. We can appreciate the great art from the past and recognize the artist's troubles and not condoning their actions. In the Harvard Crimson, someone said, “Instead of complete cancellation and artwork erasure, providing room for artists to grow and become better humans allows for healing on all ends." Maybe there is some truth in this, but I find it hard to draw the line.