JULY/AUGUST 2021 ISSUE
Dinosaurs became extinct, as some believe, as the result of an enormous asteroid striking the Earth. The inhabitants of Atlantis,
perhaps by their own technological undoing, are but a distant memory as well. Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything, and
an end to all things as well...to which The Byrds voiced a song in the 1960s. Will the entire human race, of which we are all a part,
fulfill this prophecy?
Let's face it. The world appears to be coming apart at the seams. Greed is rampant and the demons are out of control. As a result,
the time we are living in today is, without question, the most serious point in human history! Not only do we still find ourselves in a
global pandemic which, as some believe, may be the result of biological warfare or a test for things to come, but the seven billion or
so human inhabitants in the world, along with all the innocent animals, face the very real potential of total annihilation as a result of
nuclear war. To put it bluntly, we stand at a point in time and space which represents the pinnacle of our worst fears and an uncertain
future! What is an artist to do?
During the Great Depression of the 1930s and during World War II, people went to the movies and to the theater to escape their
troubles. They watched Fred and Ginger sing and dance, and were dazzled by the costumes and choreography of the Ziegfeld
Follies.
They listened to music on the radio and were urged to Keep Your Sunny Side Up! while dreaming of a place Somewhere Over the
Rainbow. They traveled to far-off lands and had exciting adventures courtesy of novelists. They marveled at the artistry of sculptors
and idealistic painters in museums, and danced their cares away, if only momentarily, to the creative musical accomplishments of
Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and other big band and jazz orchestra leaders. Perhaps most
importantly, people were also forced to see the reality of the situation through the lenses of Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein and
other photojournalists.
World War II was certainly not the first war. It was predated by World War I (the war to end all wars) and countless other wars before
that. In fact, the history of the human race is basically a history of wars dating back to ancient times. Despite this agonizing and
bloody past, the human race somehow found a way to survive...and to that end, artists played an important role.
Stanley Kubrick illustrated the origins of warfare in his classic motion picture, 2001...A Space Odyssey. The difference between
the primal past depicted in that film and today is that our weapons have gotten much more sophisticated. In other words, much more
deadly! While primitive man could only kill a few other primitive men at a time, humans today are capable of wiping out the entire
human race in a matter of minutes. As Henry Adams wrote...Some day science may have the existence of mankind in its power,
and the human race can commit suicide by blowing up the world. Unfortunately, that day has arrived! What is an artist to do?
Artists have entertained the public during times of great distress, and have waved an artistic warning flag illustrating the potential of
impending doom as well. A Fail Safe method of avoiding nuclear war (which failed) and a fictional doctor by the name of Strangelove
come to mind. John Lennon urged us to Imagine and to Give Peace A Chance, Cat Stevens engineered a Peace Train...and
Marvin Gaye asked What's Going On? Perhaps the answer to Marvin's question is sadly Blowin' in the Wind.
Despite these and other warnings by artists, it doesn't take someone like Nostradamus to see that many people today are fiddling
with their "smart" phones and playing violent video "games" while Rome is burning. Social disease...I mean, social media, is epidemic...
and mainstream media has mostly become a farce. The smorgasbord list of problems in the world is definitely not something that a
wise connoisseur of life would consciously choose to partake of.
It's as if a very large Pandora's jar has been opened and insanity has been let loose. Artificial intelligence, which of course is not
intelligent, has been awakened. The 1973 film, Westworld cleverly illustrated the dangers of traveling down that road! To put it
another way...the temptation of technology to humans is akin to the temptation of a moth to a flame. Many a moth has found out too
late just how deadly that attraction can be!
People have often described the plague from China as being "crazy times." The times we have been living through have not been
crazy. They have been deadly! Millions of people in the world have died. Many more have been sick. Countless jobs have been
lost and businesses have been hurt economically or permanently destroyed.
In addition, hostilities in the world appear to be increasing in severity causing conscious minds to wonder if life on Earth, as we
know it, will come to an end anytime soon. If indeed it does, will it be the result of biological warfare, asteroids, volcanic eruptions
and earthquakes, nuclear war, or technology gone mad? Thoughts such as these can be extremely frightening for the majority of
people on the planet who have little control over such catastrophic possibilities. Most are simply trying to find a way to survive from
day to day. This, of course, includes artists as well.
Artists do, however, have the unique power of their artistry. They can contribute their talents, as they have in the past, and calm the
nerves of others...and alert them as well. Artists are, by their nature, very intense and passionate people. That is why they are capable
of shining so brightly during the darkest times. Artists paint, photograph, compose and play music, make films, act, dance, sculpt,
design and write what they are feeling in order to inspire others. Artists bring beauty and imagination to the forefront. Artists elevate
humanity and provide hope. This is our legacy from the past and our true purpose for the present...and the future!
And so, to answer the question which I've posed twice before in this SPOTLIGHT...What is an artist to do?...I will say this. Create!
Create like never before! Create like your very life depends upon it! Create as if there is no tomorrow! What other choice, as artists,
do we have?
Like the legendary phoenix which rose from the ashes, artists must rise to the occasion as well. Like the relentless determination of
a flower which refuses to be deterred by concrete and asphalt, artists must break through the barriers and constraints we encounter,
throw caution to the wind, and prove to the world that creativity and enlightenment will always be victorious over destruction and the
darkness of evil!
perhaps by their own technological undoing, are but a distant memory as well. Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything, and
an end to all things as well...to which The Byrds voiced a song in the 1960s. Will the entire human race, of which we are all a part,
fulfill this prophecy?
Let's face it. The world appears to be coming apart at the seams. Greed is rampant and the demons are out of control. As a result,
the time we are living in today is, without question, the most serious point in human history! Not only do we still find ourselves in a
global pandemic which, as some believe, may be the result of biological warfare or a test for things to come, but the seven billion or
so human inhabitants in the world, along with all the innocent animals, face the very real potential of total annihilation as a result of
nuclear war. To put it bluntly, we stand at a point in time and space which represents the pinnacle of our worst fears and an uncertain
future! What is an artist to do?
During the Great Depression of the 1930s and during World War II, people went to the movies and to the theater to escape their
troubles. They watched Fred and Ginger sing and dance, and were dazzled by the costumes and choreography of the Ziegfeld
Follies.
They listened to music on the radio and were urged to Keep Your Sunny Side Up! while dreaming of a place Somewhere Over the
Rainbow. They traveled to far-off lands and had exciting adventures courtesy of novelists. They marveled at the artistry of sculptors
and idealistic painters in museums, and danced their cares away, if only momentarily, to the creative musical accomplishments of
Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and other big band and jazz orchestra leaders. Perhaps most
importantly, people were also forced to see the reality of the situation through the lenses of Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein and
other photojournalists.
World War II was certainly not the first war. It was predated by World War I (the war to end all wars) and countless other wars before
that. In fact, the history of the human race is basically a history of wars dating back to ancient times. Despite this agonizing and
bloody past, the human race somehow found a way to survive...and to that end, artists played an important role.
Stanley Kubrick illustrated the origins of warfare in his classic motion picture, 2001...A Space Odyssey. The difference between
the primal past depicted in that film and today is that our weapons have gotten much more sophisticated. In other words, much more
deadly! While primitive man could only kill a few other primitive men at a time, humans today are capable of wiping out the entire
human race in a matter of minutes. As Henry Adams wrote...Some day science may have the existence of mankind in its power,
and the human race can commit suicide by blowing up the world. Unfortunately, that day has arrived! What is an artist to do?
Artists have entertained the public during times of great distress, and have waved an artistic warning flag illustrating the potential of
impending doom as well. A Fail Safe method of avoiding nuclear war (which failed) and a fictional doctor by the name of Strangelove
come to mind. John Lennon urged us to Imagine and to Give Peace A Chance, Cat Stevens engineered a Peace Train...and
Marvin Gaye asked What's Going On? Perhaps the answer to Marvin's question is sadly Blowin' in the Wind.
Despite these and other warnings by artists, it doesn't take someone like Nostradamus to see that many people today are fiddling
with their "smart" phones and playing violent video "games" while Rome is burning. Social disease...I mean, social media, is epidemic...
and mainstream media has mostly become a farce. The smorgasbord list of problems in the world is definitely not something that a
wise connoisseur of life would consciously choose to partake of.
It's as if a very large Pandora's jar has been opened and insanity has been let loose. Artificial intelligence, which of course is not
intelligent, has been awakened. The 1973 film, Westworld cleverly illustrated the dangers of traveling down that road! To put it
another way...the temptation of technology to humans is akin to the temptation of a moth to a flame. Many a moth has found out too
late just how deadly that attraction can be!
People have often described the plague from China as being "crazy times." The times we have been living through have not been
crazy. They have been deadly! Millions of people in the world have died. Many more have been sick. Countless jobs have been
lost and businesses have been hurt economically or permanently destroyed.
In addition, hostilities in the world appear to be increasing in severity causing conscious minds to wonder if life on Earth, as we
know it, will come to an end anytime soon. If indeed it does, will it be the result of biological warfare, asteroids, volcanic eruptions
and earthquakes, nuclear war, or technology gone mad? Thoughts such as these can be extremely frightening for the majority of
people on the planet who have little control over such catastrophic possibilities. Most are simply trying to find a way to survive from
day to day. This, of course, includes artists as well.
Artists do, however, have the unique power of their artistry. They can contribute their talents, as they have in the past, and calm the
nerves of others...and alert them as well. Artists are, by their nature, very intense and passionate people. That is why they are capable
of shining so brightly during the darkest times. Artists paint, photograph, compose and play music, make films, act, dance, sculpt,
design and write what they are feeling in order to inspire others. Artists bring beauty and imagination to the forefront. Artists elevate
humanity and provide hope. This is our legacy from the past and our true purpose for the present...and the future!
And so, to answer the question which I've posed twice before in this SPOTLIGHT...What is an artist to do?...I will say this. Create!
Create like never before! Create like your very life depends upon it! Create as if there is no tomorrow! What other choice, as artists,
do we have?
Like the legendary phoenix which rose from the ashes, artists must rise to the occasion as well. Like the relentless determination of
a flower which refuses to be deterred by concrete and asphalt, artists must break through the barriers and constraints we encounter,
throw caution to the wind, and prove to the world that creativity and enlightenment will always be victorious over destruction and the
darkness of evil!
SPOTLIGHT
IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS!
Text and Photography By Douglas Schwartz
Artwork featured in this SPOTLIGHT © copyright Douglas Schwartz. All rights reserved.
