Autonomie der Kunst
Autonomy of Arts

Autonomy of Arts

Summary/Abstract: The study intends to provide insight into the situation of artists in Linz and connect this approach with my personal questions concerning the autonomy of the arts. The claim of the autonomy of the arts was looming since the age of Enlightenment. It is linked to the French Revolution and demands the liberation of the arts from feudalistic and clerical heteronomy: “Enlightenment is man’s leaving his self-caused immaturity” (Kant). Art is no longer reduced to simple mimesis, useful and morally correct. It is no longer soly dependend on social influences. This claim can also be seen as an artistic reflex to the pressure that institutions were executing. I tend to believe that this claim for autonomy is also a reaction to pressure. Societal or even personal pressure is connected to fear and autonomy has the power to overcome fear. Besides stage fright and thrill, the special exposure of performing artists offers fertile soil for many kinds of fear. There are numerous triggers for these fears and they are all connected to diverse dependencies: the fear of failing, the fear of dealing with criticism, the fear of confronting oneself with the emotions of a role, the fear of memorizing huge amounts of text, the fear of dealing with the director, the hierarchies, financial insecurity etc. And we may admit these fears as some of them are justified. But artistic autonomy demands that you pinpoint these fears and include them in the artistic process. The economic, legal and ideological independence of art is guaranteed by our western constitutions as freedom of the arts. Art and artists are protected against influences from the outside and instrumental use.

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