In a perfect world all forms of artistic expression would be morally vindicated works that express ones deepest desires, fears, perversions and the like. Nevertheless, this old world and it's modern society, if that's what you want to call it has a hard time accepting anything that isn't "ducks flying out of the water."

The powers that be here at Helium.com ask "what makes something great art." Unfortunately, it is the audience that determines whether a piece is great or not with regard to history. Whereas the truth of a piece's greatness is determined by several logical factors.

Composition, contrast, flow, originality, elements such as these are the backbone that supports the existence of a valid work of art; whether it be visual, literal, cinematic or sculptural.

Truly great works of art possess in their splendorous display the power to warp and change the lives and minds of men and women such that they view the world differently after having experienced the shock value of a valid artistic endeavor.

However, it has been my experience that the further out into the oblivion of the subconscious that the artist dwells to connect with the raw and childlike honesty that inundates a sophisticated work of art, the more likely the piece is to be rejected by small town galleries and your average citizen. The strange and unusual still frighten to such a perverse and unnecessary degree in rural areas it is disheartening even to the most adamant artist.

Open mindedness is still a elusive trait, and without it, many great works of art are being lost in the shuffle, stored in the attic, because people just want to see those ducks taking off.

People see a painting or a short film and the material they observe is used to brand the artist as a Godless heathen or insane. I pray things are better than this in larger cities, but me personally I cannot afford to move to New York city and start trying to sell my art. To be honest I live in Mount Airy, NC. This is Mayberry, the town that the Andy Griffith Show was based on. Here anything that is out of the norm, no ducks, no sales. I am a visual artist and a writer. I have personally experienced the discrimination and hatred that occurs when one tries to do something out of the norm for the sake of art.

Regardless, that is what I am. If people want to read the first few pages of my book and think I am the Antichrist, that's their probable, they don't understand anything. My home church that I attended for twenty-six years started preaching against the bookmarks I printed up to promote my book. They read "To step into the light you must first cast a shadow." This is a logic statement, not "hell on wheels."

I know people mean well. However, if we cannot control our thoughts, how can we control our art? It is this sort of honest, unbridled expression that makes for great art. It is the plight of the artist to do what he or she is inspired to do regardless of what anyone says. I truly believe that this is a God given right, and that all art is vindicated (cleared from moral criticism). The only exclusion being, Nazi propaganda and child porn, anything that really hurts someone.

Aside from that, I believe it is art, not science that will pave the way to the next step in human evolution, as long as we are free to express ourselves without fear of retaliation by close minded, bible thumping hypocrites.

Check out my website if you want to see some valid visual art. www.unifiedtheoryproduction.co m

Learn more about this author, Steven Pell.
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