“In a perfect world, everyone would be an artist, and no one would sign their work.”
--Philip Glass
I think this is a brilliant statement -- and very idealistic. The anonymity of the artist would mean that art has a non-commercial function. But in our culture, the function of art is mostly commercial. We give lip service to it being otherwise but this is political self-serving bullshit. You don't have to work as an artist, or be a serious observer of the arts, for long to realize how important commercial success is in the equation of art/audience communication. Individuals can appreciate art in a non-commercial context but institutions, which govern the arts, rarely do. Glass' statement speaks to a different kind of use for art in a very different -- a perfect -- kind of world. A nice thought. Never happen.
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