Influence of Art on Culture

Reading from http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Reading_Revolutions/artandculture.html

Influence of Art on Culture


Ideas don't just come from philosophers and politicians, the visual arts offer a broad view of humanity and influence our self-perceptions, while literature can incite both guilt and ideals.  One of the ways to illustrate this is to look at the subject matter of painting and literature over time.

For instance, the works of Dickens are a reflection of the new emphasis placed on the individual right to freedom and the importance of individual lives.  The political and philosophical writings of the 1700's were being applied in the 1800's to everyday life at the most fundamental level.  What would the Civil War be without Uncle Tom's Cabin and Little Sheeba?  The struggle to change society and customs to meet the new ideals continues today.