Caravaggio killed a man. Should we therefore censor his art? | Svetlana Mintcheva | Opinion | The Guardian

"Is it an inconvenient time to take a step back and think more carefully about the consequences of this purge on the culture at large? Many may say that, in the middle of a revolution, as we bring down abusive powerful men, we cannot afford to dwell on ambiguities. But, if that is true, it also means that we don’t need art – because the very essence of art (as opposed to political propaganda) is to do just that.

To remove art because it is tainted by the sins of its maker sets an impossible standard for art institutions, a standard that would demand they act as enforcers of moral orthodoxy. The work of every artist whose life was morally tainted by today’s standards would be approached only through the lens of that taint – and, if they fail the test, their work would need to be removed."

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Caravaggio killed a man. Should we therefore censor his art? | Svetlana Mintcheva | Opinion | The Guardian: