Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Censorship of Art at Facebook Must Not Be Tolerated




























     A disturbing trend is coming to my attention all too frequently of late on facebook. Several of my most talented artist friends are reporting that facebook is allowing its users to report art, and that facebook is responding to these reports by taking down the art. While I realize that I have little or no power to affect and influence facebook in their inane decision to allow this, nevertheless I state boldly that I will not stand by and say nothing. I will not allow this ludicrous practice on parts of both users of facebook, and facebook itself to continue without protest. In that spirit I post what might be my most offensive art at this blog entry, which I will post on facebook. Keep in mind I don't really know which among my works are offensive. I do not set out to make offensive art. Offensive is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder often has an offensive agenda, jealousy is often what is behind any kind of offense.

     There is one here I shocked myself with when I painted it, Adam and Eve at Palisades Park Cliff Above the Pacific Ocean. The two of them have just partaken of massive amounts of fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they have been cast out of the Garden of Eden. They are thinking seriously of committing suicide, their spirits can be seen ghost-like tumbling over the edge of the cliff.
      How I offended myself at the time I painted it, and since when I see photos of it online (including here) was by using garish Disney colors,  and an almost cartoony inyerface style, telling story without benefit of intermediary masking techniques, which are usual for me, and too numerous to expound on here.
      Ambivalent as I am about this painting, people have enjoyed it, remembered it, discussed it, and finally purchased it.

     I post this entry in celebration of Independence Day in the United States. I seek liberation from the petty and mundane forces which seek to mediocritize us all. No to censorship of any art, anywhere!

     The situation is childish, not suited to a society interested in what is best and brightest among its citizenry, namely those practitioners of all of the the arts. We all need to find ways to protest that people seek to undermine artists, and that facebook allows it.

     I have read at the blogs of others that facebook allows the most repugnant vile hate groups to post what they like on pages about subjects which for the purposes of this entry I deem unsuitable for me to address.

     This posting is against censorship. In protest I upload some of my own most offensive images and will post this entry to facebook, along with a call to arms. Blog about this subject. Write to facebook. Post offensive photos from among your artworks. Write about the subject at your status report. Write about it in notes. Call upon others to also protest. We should put our "friends" and facebook on notice that the situation is not one that is in any way tolerable to us.