Pages

▼

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Some people object to governments spending taxpayers’ money on the arts such as paintings and sculptures in public places, because they believe there are higher priorities for public spending.

BÀI LUẬN TIẾNG ANH THEO CHỦ ĐỀ.

 Some people object to governments spending taxpayers’ money on the arts such as paintings and sculptures in public places, because they believe there are higher priorities for public spending. 

lt is a striking fact that every modem city boasts not only of its prosperity but also of its culture. Cities are showcases for the artistic achievement of their citizens. Yet the erection of paintings and sculptures in public places is an expensive business and sometimes controversial when there are other priorities pressing on the public purse. ln principle however, l approve wholeheartedly of such spending even when the works exhibited are not ones that l would have chosen. 

My first consideration is that the so-called higher priorities, whatever they may be in any particular case, do not necessarily command a consensus. Vague approval of this priority or that often dissolves into acrimonious debate when the costs come to be calculated and real commitment called for. Environmental protection, for instance, would be at or near the top of most people’s list of priorities, but there is frequently debate about just how far to go. Secondly, even priorities which are universally agreed, such as healthcare, cannot ultimately be satisfied because demand is limitless. Targets have to be set which represent compromises over what can be provided. 

For these reasons, i am unpersuaded by arguments about priorities, for these seem to beg the question. Therefore, l would put more weight on the actual value of artistic displays, which, in my opinion, have a number of merits that fall into two categories, namely, intrinsic and extrinsic. By “extrinsic merits” I mean functions which the works of art perform quite apart from their inherent value as works of art. The chief of these, ! suppose, is to provide memorials, such as statues of leaders, soldiers and scientists. These serve to remind people of the debt of gratitude we owe to these figures and to make the onlookers feel a sense of pride in being connected with them. By “intrinsic merits" ! mean both the artistỉc value of the works (even though people may have different opinions about these) and the witness that such productions bear to the vitality of our culture. As already mentioned, it seems to be a human instinct to associate culture with cities. Perhaps that is recognition that there is more to life than making money and works of art testify to human aspirations for all-round fulfillment as well as material prosperity. 

My opinion, then, is that the promotion of works of art is as much a priority as any other because art is a basic human achievement; it ls unnatural to live without. Naturally, we all wish to avoíd the unfortunate precedent set in the Netherlands in the 19705 when public subsidies for the arts produced too many works that the government ran out of storage space. Nevertheless, i am convinced that the public display of works of art is a rational and humane dimension of city planning. 
-

No comments:

Post a Comment