I watched The Banishment of Beauty on YouTube last night. Regardless on where one stands in relation to Contemporary Art versus Representational Art, this is a very thoughtful analysis of today's art culture.

One thing I got from watching this film was the link between the arts and science. Leonardo DaVinci is recognized as being both a scientist and an artist. Scientists seem to have a greater standing in our society than do we lowly artists. Given a choice between being an artist or a scientist our parents would, in most cases, push us toward a career in the sciences. Yet, society does not recognize how close the two fields are linked. Both create for the greater good of humanity when you think about it.

Where a scientist does experiments to test out a theory, painters experiment with pigment, support, mediums, solvents and varnishes, etc. to create their works of art. Just as all scientific experiments do not produce the desired results not all painting are masterpieces.
A sculptor must have knowledge properties of the wood, stone or clay that the sculptor works with. A dancer must know the limits of the human body and just how far to stretch those limits to create dance. A musician must know the scales and range of sound to produce music. A writer must know prose and grammar to write effectively.

Where science aims to make life better for humanity, art must strive to evoke beauty to the viewer. For it is in art that we can relate best to each other. In art we are creating a world for others to see. If we, as artists, create scenes of  ugliness and despair in our quest to portray 'truth' will not the viewer be moved negatively? Is it not our responsibility, as artists, to balance the ugliness with beauty and hope? The image that the rest of the world has of America comes from the films and television that portray America as violent and hedonistic.

The Banishment of Beauty - Scott Burdick