When artists explore a period of history through their art, what is the artist's responsibility to that history? Which truth - historic or artistic - is of greatest importance? As Karen Shepard, author of the historical novel The Celestials, asked in Part I of this discussion, "What could I make up about history? Could I only write what I knew had happened, or could I also … [Read more...]
Karen Shepard: What Do We Owe to History in Our Art?
When artists explore or evoke a period in history through their art, it raises questions about the artist's responsibility. What facts, what details, what people, are fair game for reinvention? What truth - historic or artistic - is of the most importance? (For an interesting take on this, read Hendrik Herzberg's essay on what Stephen Spielberg and his collaborators get wrong … [Read more...]