Values can be defined as a system of beliefs that a person or group of people hold dear. They provide a guidepost for people to make decisions based on what is important to them. For example, values could promote individualism, esteem simplicity, or celebrate nature. In the context of art movements, values usually center around ideas or aesthetics that the artists in the movement hold dear. Often, values are conveyed in manifestos authored by the movement’s founders, encapsulating them in a concise and easy-to-share format. These documents allow for like-minded individuals to quickly identify with the ideas proposed by the manifesto’s author or authors. Notable examples of art manifestos include the Realist manifesto, written in 1855 by Gustave Courbet; Du “Cubisme,” the first text on Cubism, written by Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger in 1912; and the Dada manifesto, first recited by Hugo Ball in 1916. In each case, the movement’s values were clearly defined and put forth in a way that allowed others to identify with them.
But while expressing values may ease the formation of an art movement, it does not always guarantee its success, much less a positive outcome. Not all values are so well-defined or easy to share. In some cases, values are poorly characterized, leading to confusion and disparate outcomes. Other times, values are held loosely, without much conviction, leading to a lack of focus or purpose. And sometimes, the values held up as guiding principles are simply bad ones, resulting in a movement that spreads troublesome ideologies. In short, the blind adherence to ill-conceived, loosely-held, or pernicious values is a recipe for disaster.
Take, for example, fine art in the regional West.
A significant amount of art in the American West is rooted in a stringent attachment to realism and is often created with an aim to preserve and promote the values of “true Western heritage.” Indeed, one particularly influential organization insists its members depict “the authentic facts and color relative to the historic, social, political, economic and religious background of the American West” in its manifesto, or “Mission Statement.” But by “authentic facts,” they mean those heavily skewed towards the perspective of those with a “passion for ranch life and cowboy culture.” While proponents may cite historical respect as their paramount concern, the emanant body of work shows this cannot be true. Or, if it is, that it serves simply as window dressing rather than a true guiding principle. Respect for the facts of history wouldn’t allow for romanticization, especially when it comes to a region with numerous accounts, interests, and people. But, more often than not, romanticization is exactly what emerges from this genre.
To understand this point, one only needs to walk through any western gallery or art exhibition and observe the unbelievably narrow portrayal of American Indians. A culture is a finicky, complicated, evolving thing, not a monolith. But if one were to take the art of the American West as gospel, one would be safe assuming the American Indian experience can be described with a few tropes. This has led to a paradox where living tribal communities feel “trapped in time” by narratives that remand them to the past. They are, in effect, held in a kind of cultural bondage, exploited endlessly by those with power and influence.
Values are thought to be the cornerstone of any society. But when values are poorly held, or worse, when they are actively used to exploit and harm others, they should be considered for what they are: tools for the propagation of human suffering. Artists in the regional West are frequently held to standards established by a small, insular market that is resistant to change, and informed by values that are, in many cases, anachronistic and harmful. But if artists are to create work that accurately reflects the diverse experience of the people who live in the American West, they must first reckon with the values that have been placed upon them by the dominant culture. That insight may be the first step in breaking free from the beliefs holding them back and, perhaps, help reveal a path towards a brighter, more inclusive future for all.