They Can Take my Brush, but Never Take my Freedom!

Censorship is the process of not allowing anything too offensive, obscene, or perverted to be viewed, heard, or read by the general public. It usually comes about when a book, painting, song, or even name becomes highly offensive or morally corrupt. Art Censorship has been around since the beginning of the arts, whether it be old Roman Empire Statues to Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment masterpiece. Censorship can be either good or bad. As an artist, my opinion is that censorship is basically either a way to make something better for a broader audience or limit it to the extent of extinction.

Art censorship dates back to the Ancient Athens, the Roman Empire, and the Medieval Catholic Church. Together they financed many artists, but also suppressed many as well. The United States government did not approve national art until the 1960’s. The National Foundation of the Arts and Humanities was created in 1965. The purpose of this organization was to encourage excellence in art. There are two divisions of this organization. One is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the other is the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The main reasons for censoring the arts were the obscenity it promoted and religious beliefs of some groups. The view of some religious groups was that through certain forms of art Satan was allowed to flow freely. Artwork that was considered obscene or indecent was thought to promote immorality.

Some of the world’s greatest works of art have been censored through the years. In the early Roman Empire male nudity was common until the Roman Empire converted to Christianity. Works such as Michelangelo’s Statue of David were censored with leaves to cover the genital areas. However, this w...

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...still in a very tasteful way. I would also never have the heart to censor someone’s film. If someone works so hard to complete something, why ruin it? They should be able to use their version and their version only.

My art is a different story. I have never really painted anything that has caused a conflict of interest. I mostly paint flowers, beaches, and sketch people. Someone once wanted me to just take out something in a sketch just because it was larger than the rest, I said no, but they bought it anyway because I stood up for myself. I try not to do anything that someone else has already done, and if someone asks me too copy I usually say no. I will never become someone I am not. As I always say “You were born an original, don’t die a copy.” No one will ever censor me, and if they try, they need to know they can take my brush, but never my freedom!