Politics and Art

The following letter was published in the Age on Friday 3rd August
From: michael meszaros

To: letters@theage.com.au
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2012 10:29 AM
Subject: Politics and the Arts

Joe Hockey and the Opposition’s comments on Bruce Springsteen’s influence on Wayne Swan are disappointing. It appears that they have little appreciation of the importance of the role the arts play in society. It also seems that they categorise the arts as some sort of add-on to society, but which have no real importance in relation to the serious conduct of our lives.

Artists of all types have always been the mirror of society, pondering on what is happening, reaching conclusions and expressing those conclusions to their audiences in a multitude of ways. These conclusions and expressions have had enormous impacts in forming ideas and should not be underestimated. They are often subtle and are not perceived directly, but they form part of our underlying culture.

I applaud Mr. Swan for being so forthright in acknowledging the source his inspiration and in doing so, expressing the importance of the arts in our lives.

Michael Meszaros, sculptor.