Art and Money

I do not suppose that mere mental activity can change the world, and that such things as beauty, reason, or purposefulness, could exist as the entities in themselves, independent of the current level of social development. In particular, I cannot admit too much perfection in the world --- otherwise, why should there be any necessity in the humanity?

Regretfully, the possibilities of the free circulation of ideas (and the works of art) are most limited in the present world. For instance, you cannot exhibit your works on the Internet if there is nobody who will pay for that. Therefore, you can guard your paintings against the market only as long as you can have some other income. If not, nothing can prevent them from being sold.

Still, this can never kill art as such. Artistic work only implies that some thing is not made for sale, but not that it won't be sold afterwards. In the capitalist society, the personality is bound to split, so that a person producing a thing does not coincide with a person selling it --- though the two persons may inhabit the same physiological body. However, the thought of a potential client may spoil the artist's creativity, and even kill the artist in a person's soul. However, somebody else will necessarily take over the burden of truly artistic creativity.