You cannot separate art from artist; they flow from the same font, the same value system, the same framing, the same agenda. There is but one personality behind both of them.

You can put the art of dead artists in their historical contexts to maybe lessen their blame. But living artists in a shared culture deserve no such latitude, as their context is now.

Elevating the art endorses the artist. You can’t help doing the latter when you do the former.

The next time you get the urge to separate art from artist, ask yourself why you want to do that.

Chances are you want to continue enjoying the art despite it being made by a despicable person.

Chances are you don’t want to be held responsible for elevating a terrible human being, even as you continue to reward them by consuming their work.

Chances are you’re doing it because you don’t want to stop the flow of your entertainment.

Chances are it’s just a euphemism for selfishness.

• #opinion