Spencer W. KimballGeorge Bernard Shaw, the Irish dramatist and critic (1856–1950), summed up an approach to life: “Other people,” he said, “see things and say, ‘WHY?’ But I dream things that never were—and I say, ‘WHY NOT?’” We need people who can dream of things that never were, and ask, “WHY NOT?”
I ran across this quote in the following article: http://www.lds.org/liahona/1978/02/the- ... f-the-arts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It was posted at a site where someone was mad because the Ensign recently photoshoped a classic art piece but that is not what I wanted to discuss.
I have noticed that some people with artistic talent feel a certain alienation from the Church. No, there is a comfortable place for people who are into Bernstein sorts of music, or non-controversial plays, or painting/photography of western landscapes but there are many people who have talents that extend into areas that are still within Gospel guidelines but are more on the fringe of society. Look at Stephanie Meyer who is probably the most celebrated LDS writer today. She could easily have thought to herself that a story about vampires might get some people uncomfortable. Yet she went ahead and became famous. Maybe we need to make sure our young writers who might be interested in more Gothic themes feel like their efforts are appreciated, or our musically inclined young people who might prefer symphonic metal as their favorite means of expression. I would encourage people to share this.
Oh, and make note that President Kimball is saying that a statue of a naked man is inspiring. That should put the issue of if nudity in and of itself is wrong in art into a different context.
