Typically, when one writes about the 4th of July, one writes about the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Moi also writes about those things. Today, all three locations of the Seattle Art Museum were FREE, FREE, FREE. Moi took advantage of that and went to all three, the Asian Museum at Volunteer Park, the Sculpture Garden on the waterfront, and SAM downtown. Talk about a feast for the eyes, the brain, the intellect, and the soul. That got moi thinking about artistic freedom. Mfiles writes about Dmitri Shostakovich, the great Russian composer:
Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg (now Leningrad) and died in Moscow. His entire musical career was therefore spent within Russia’s Communist system, and in many ways it is clear that he had to strike a balance between his own artistic inclinations and the demands of the state. He was taught by Glazunov among others, learning piano and composition and graduating from the St. Petersburg (Petrograd) Conservatory at the age of 19 with his first symphony. This is a youthful, precocious work demonstrating his musical talents in no uncertain terms, with some similarities in approach to Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony.
Though this was an early success, his music didn’t always enjoy the approval of the Soviet authorities. His opera “The Nose” received some criticism and “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” received oven more. In later years he was to enjoy more artistic freedom, but under Stalin composers and other artists ran the risk of their work being labelled anti-state “formalism”. In some cases this could lead to “disappearances” so the threat was very real indeed. Shostakovich withdrew his 4th symphony before its premier for this reason and it wasn’t performed until later under more liberal times. Some of Shostakovich’s work seems to be simply paying his dues as an upright citizen but in many cases, although his music might outwardly be conforming with the party line, there is nevertheless the feeling that he is rebelling against this…. http://www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/Dmitri-Shostakovich.htm
Today’s deposit into the ‘Joy Jar’ is artistic freedom.
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.”
Wayne Gerard Trotman
There is no must in art because art is free.
Wassily Kandinsky
An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, a prisoner of style, a prisoner of reputation, or a prisoner of success.
Henri Matisse
To blossom forth, a work of art must ignore or rather forget all the rules.
Pablo Picasso
When there is no freedom, there is no creativity.
Soud Qbeilat
Art is to be creative without any rules or limitations, it is somewhere where freedom can be found.
Salwa Zahid
A work of art is a scream of freedom.
Christo
The creator’s eye is watching us and blessing all of our creativity and hopefully hiding from us our shortcomings, so that we are more free to really blast about the dirt yard with our compositions, our canvases, writing pens, singing a new anthem to the Universe, one that will proclaim that our artistry will save us, the planet, the people… Mankind is One, God is One… let us all agree at least on that.
Sonya Bennett
A free spirit takes liberties even with liberty itself.
Francis Picabia
An artist discovers his genius the day he dares not to please.
André Malraux
Here’s to freedom, cheers to art. Here’s to having an excellent adventure and may the stopping never start.
Jason Mraz
Art is the journey of a free soul.
Alev Oguz
drwilda 
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