Thank you for writing this. As a mid thirties right winger with an artistic personality I've spent most of my youth depressed and demotivated due to the dismissal of artistic pursuits by most people on "my side". The need to make a living and the leftist control of cultural mediums has kept me from creating any art of my own. Only recently have I been encouraged by the flowering of right wing outlets online to consider pursuing some of my visions.
I am in a very similar boat to you. I went a bit further, working in film for over 6 years, but was never able to do the kind of work I wanted. I left the industry and now any work I do I want to be on my own terms.
And the lefties are in part to be blamed to a degree for no conservative artists; they purge such persons. Look at how many actors have had to hide their political beliefs to get jobs in Hollyweird. The leftists will not fund you or enable you if they discover you have wrongthink.
Oh, I agree that the left is the blame. I think the right or more conservatives need to realize that by not encouraging artistic pursuits they gave the arts to the left and then the left did exactly what you would expect them to do and created barriers to keep anyone even slowly to the right out.
I'm not a man and I can't fully relate to the struggle. But as someone born in a former communist country where art was something simply close to a fiction or a dream, it still baffles me and shocks me when I see so many western artists glamorizing far left ideals.
Even if the regime fell in 1989 it's not like everybody dropped the habits, traumas, and even sympathies in a day. Topped with efforts to rebuild and develop, art - once again - came as an after thought in my culture of origin for many years after the fact. Yes, art was appreciated by some, but I think it was more-so a feature of those times, and less a matter of political ideologies.
During communism it was difficult to find art albums, or music, or movies... any artistic pursuit; unless it was smuggled illegally into the country. The values of the left party were precisely the values of what you call in the US "right wing": work and materialism. There was even a thing called scientific materialism. The freedom and pursuit of happiness were not part of it though haha.
Also strange how in Europe for a long while being artist was seen as a man's job. Even going to the Opera is not a gender thing, it's just... people enjoying culture.
But coming back to the point of leftism. I could sit here all day and write about all the hardships of being an artist during such a treacherous regime. I've heard so many stories! My parents' generation who lived fully under it, has never viewed artists as something "serious".
But I'll just leave at: I can't in the right mind subscribe to that ideology fully. Hence why I prefer to be untethered to anything and do art simply for myself, then to have to be forced into something I don't care about.
I guess that by today's standard I am "right wing", but idk... more than any box or label, I am myself.
It is sad but I think that the "right" in America has done just as much to keep themselves out of the arts as the left has done to keep them out. That being said art that is political by design is usually bad and it is more about having people with right-leaning tendencies in the arts.
I empathize to an extent with the view that art is not something serious. When you grow up in a situation where survival is a constant battle the arts can seem like a waste of time. In America that hasn't been the case but rather art is seen as pointless because of its lack of monetary value.
Yes, it’s sad because these things are treated at such a surface-level, when in fact there is a need to rediscover the depth of it all. Making right wing art shouldn’t be only about slapping a flag on something, but it should be about the values. For example: it could perhaps be art that invites reflection and soul searching. Or art that highlights the joys of family or wholesome-ness. Or art that shows the wiseness of old people.
I agree 100% that art should be compensated. But also to remember that art has value beyond the monetary. Art is a spiritual practice. Art is (and was) present in all human Krafts. A hand sculpted table is a work of art. A work of masonry stone is art. A home built from scratch is a work of art. Etc.
In a way it’s a great news that it’s only a matter of perspective, because perspectives can be changed. And people can start to view the value in art again. There is always hope! :)
The difficulty lies in the finances as the system is built to punish art rather than reward it. What is more is that so long as the Right clings to material wealth as the be all end all, rather than the transcendant and the nation it is doomed to never reclaim the arts.
But the tide is changing, all across the world. We're taking back the arts from the defeated, vanquished left.
One thing to note is how crucial a child's early education in cultivating the desire and capacity for creating great art. I teach and am on the board of a small classical Christian school where we teach Latin, have children memorize extended swaths of poetry/literature, expose them to great art, and train them in virtue. They're been taught to recogize true beauty and have been given the raw tools to emulate it. We're not going to get great art until we give ourselves to the task of rebuiliding the moral imagination.
I've been a full time sculptor for over 25 years now, about half of those as the sole breadwinner for my family. I've always felt at the periphery of the art world, even being told explicitly by an art director once that there was no room for a straight white guy like me. It can be hard not to feel resentment over opportunities lost. I find the current happenings more encouraging than I thought I would. Thanks for your article.
Had a conversation once with a normie conservative guy about that. He just outright dismissed art as people being too stuck in their heads and not reality. I believe those pushing this “grind,grind,grind” narrative are just as unnatural as the lefty pinkos who are destroying culture and misappropriating beauty.
"The more the arts were seen as gay the more gay the arts became."
Reading any history shows that the great men of history not only appreciated art but also were involved in it production one way or another. If the Right wants to be able to take back the culture it has to have a culture to take it back with with. Great work!
Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoevsky, Melville, even Twain and Whitman sometimes. The conservative sensibility has strong representation. And since the left has controlled publishing, what timeless masterpieces have been produced? It is belittling to the artist to lead with a political opinion, when his realm is so much larger. A devotion to truth is the only constraint an artist needs.
Thank you for writing this. As a mid thirties right winger with an artistic personality I've spent most of my youth depressed and demotivated due to the dismissal of artistic pursuits by most people on "my side". The need to make a living and the leftist control of cultural mediums has kept me from creating any art of my own. Only recently have I been encouraged by the flowering of right wing outlets online to consider pursuing some of my visions.
Chase the dream. I just published my first novel. I’m 36. I never thought I would, but I did, don’t worry and do what you can.
Pursue your vision good sir! We're all here to support you hereon Substack!
I am in a very similar boat to you. I went a bit further, working in film for over 6 years, but was never able to do the kind of work I wanted. I left the industry and now any work I do I want to be on my own terms.
Where Have All The Art Men Gone
*psssst* we are on substack
And the lefties are in part to be blamed to a degree for no conservative artists; they purge such persons. Look at how many actors have had to hide their political beliefs to get jobs in Hollyweird. The leftists will not fund you or enable you if they discover you have wrongthink.
Oh, I agree that the left is the blame. I think the right or more conservatives need to realize that by not encouraging artistic pursuits they gave the arts to the left and then the left did exactly what you would expect them to do and created barriers to keep anyone even slowly to the right out.
I'm not a man and I can't fully relate to the struggle. But as someone born in a former communist country where art was something simply close to a fiction or a dream, it still baffles me and shocks me when I see so many western artists glamorizing far left ideals.
Even if the regime fell in 1989 it's not like everybody dropped the habits, traumas, and even sympathies in a day. Topped with efforts to rebuild and develop, art - once again - came as an after thought in my culture of origin for many years after the fact. Yes, art was appreciated by some, but I think it was more-so a feature of those times, and less a matter of political ideologies.
During communism it was difficult to find art albums, or music, or movies... any artistic pursuit; unless it was smuggled illegally into the country. The values of the left party were precisely the values of what you call in the US "right wing": work and materialism. There was even a thing called scientific materialism. The freedom and pursuit of happiness were not part of it though haha.
Also strange how in Europe for a long while being artist was seen as a man's job. Even going to the Opera is not a gender thing, it's just... people enjoying culture.
But coming back to the point of leftism. I could sit here all day and write about all the hardships of being an artist during such a treacherous regime. I've heard so many stories! My parents' generation who lived fully under it, has never viewed artists as something "serious".
But I'll just leave at: I can't in the right mind subscribe to that ideology fully. Hence why I prefer to be untethered to anything and do art simply for myself, then to have to be forced into something I don't care about.
I guess that by today's standard I am "right wing", but idk... more than any box or label, I am myself.
It is sad but I think that the "right" in America has done just as much to keep themselves out of the arts as the left has done to keep them out. That being said art that is political by design is usually bad and it is more about having people with right-leaning tendencies in the arts.
I empathize to an extent with the view that art is not something serious. When you grow up in a situation where survival is a constant battle the arts can seem like a waste of time. In America that hasn't been the case but rather art is seen as pointless because of its lack of monetary value.
Yes, it’s sad because these things are treated at such a surface-level, when in fact there is a need to rediscover the depth of it all. Making right wing art shouldn’t be only about slapping a flag on something, but it should be about the values. For example: it could perhaps be art that invites reflection and soul searching. Or art that highlights the joys of family or wholesome-ness. Or art that shows the wiseness of old people.
I agree 100% that art should be compensated. But also to remember that art has value beyond the monetary. Art is a spiritual practice. Art is (and was) present in all human Krafts. A hand sculpted table is a work of art. A work of masonry stone is art. A home built from scratch is a work of art. Etc.
In a way it’s a great news that it’s only a matter of perspective, because perspectives can be changed. And people can start to view the value in art again. There is always hope! :)
The difficulty lies in the finances as the system is built to punish art rather than reward it. What is more is that so long as the Right clings to material wealth as the be all end all, rather than the transcendant and the nation it is doomed to never reclaim the arts.
But the tide is changing, all across the world. We're taking back the arts from the defeated, vanquished left.
Yeah, I think had the right not completely abandoned art then we would have a little more cultural currency but as it is we must rebuild.
I think big things are happing, so I’m optimistic
Am also optimistic about that angle of things.
One thing to note is how crucial a child's early education in cultivating the desire and capacity for creating great art. I teach and am on the board of a small classical Christian school where we teach Latin, have children memorize extended swaths of poetry/literature, expose them to great art, and train them in virtue. They're been taught to recogize true beauty and have been given the raw tools to emulate it. We're not going to get great art until we give ourselves to the task of rebuiliding the moral imagination.
This is brilliant and it’s a shame. The education system has moved so far away from this type of instruction.
that's it im going to film school
I've been a full time sculptor for over 25 years now, about half of those as the sole breadwinner for my family. I've always felt at the periphery of the art world, even being told explicitly by an art director once that there was no room for a straight white guy like me. It can be hard not to feel resentment over opportunities lost. I find the current happenings more encouraging than I thought I would. Thanks for your article.
Had a conversation once with a normie conservative guy about that. He just outright dismissed art as people being too stuck in their heads and not reality. I believe those pushing this “grind,grind,grind” narrative are just as unnatural as the lefty pinkos who are destroying culture and misappropriating beauty.
"The more the arts were seen as gay the more gay the arts became."
Reading any history shows that the great men of history not only appreciated art but also were involved in it production one way or another. If the Right wants to be able to take back the culture it has to have a culture to take it back with with. Great work!
Signs of life in the realm of high art would include 'Raffaella,' the first new classical ballet in decades.
Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoevsky, Melville, even Twain and Whitman sometimes. The conservative sensibility has strong representation. And since the left has controlled publishing, what timeless masterpieces have been produced? It is belittling to the artist to lead with a political opinion, when his realm is so much larger. A devotion to truth is the only constraint an artist needs.
All quite right
Great one. Seen the book OLD WAY OF SEEING?