I don't know if any Hamas fighters were artists of any kind; maybe some were (although Islam forbids representational art). But certainly there were leading Nazis who were artistic or connoisseurs of art (broadly speaking). Hitler himself was a (failed) painter and took more interest in art, particularly architecture, than in most other aspects of day-to-day government in the Third Reich.
As you indicate, art is probably better as a response to evil than as a protection against it. Literature is really the only art I understand or have any capacity for. I've been a compulsive writer for decades, but since 7 October, my writing has been more focused on Israel and Jew hate (I barely wrote about Israel before, although I had written a fair bit about Jew hate) and I've been more determined to get it into the public domain. It does feel a way of connecting to Jews and the war from where I am, in what I have often thought of as a backwater of the global Jewish community (London, UK). Likewise, I started reading TOI blogs obsessively. Having previously checked in on them occasionally, I looked for new ones multiple times a day.
The idea of abstract, expressionist or surreal art after 7 October intrigues me, as a way of expressing things that are too painful to say in a realistic way, although I'm not sure that I know enough to say any more about it.
Yes, the fact that Hitler wanted to be an artist is an important reminder that art is not a synonym for goodness. Art is vital, but not every artist is a good person. I once read (but could not find the source later when I looked for it) that Hitler was emotionally and financially supported by a Jewish person in his dream of becoming an artist. I do not know if it is true, but this story does ring with meaning. Often the demonization of the Jews goes hand in hand with their idealization as saviors. And when the "saviors" fail to provide fantasy fulfillment (for example, Hitler's hope of making a living as an artist), they end up being demonized.
I don't know if any Hamas fighters were artists of any kind; maybe some were (although Islam forbids representational art). But certainly there were leading Nazis who were artistic or connoisseurs of art (broadly speaking). Hitler himself was a (failed) painter and took more interest in art, particularly architecture, than in most other aspects of day-to-day government in the Third Reich.
As you indicate, art is probably better as a response to evil than as a protection against it. Literature is really the only art I understand or have any capacity for. I've been a compulsive writer for decades, but since 7 October, my writing has been more focused on Israel and Jew hate (I barely wrote about Israel before, although I had written a fair bit about Jew hate) and I've been more determined to get it into the public domain. It does feel a way of connecting to Jews and the war from where I am, in what I have often thought of as a backwater of the global Jewish community (London, UK). Likewise, I started reading TOI blogs obsessively. Having previously checked in on them occasionally, I looked for new ones multiple times a day.
The idea of abstract, expressionist or surreal art after 7 October intrigues me, as a way of expressing things that are too painful to say in a realistic way, although I'm not sure that I know enough to say any more about it.
Yes, the fact that Hitler wanted to be an artist is an important reminder that art is not a synonym for goodness. Art is vital, but not every artist is a good person. I once read (but could not find the source later when I looked for it) that Hitler was emotionally and financially supported by a Jewish person in his dream of becoming an artist. I do not know if it is true, but this story does ring with meaning. Often the demonization of the Jews goes hand in hand with their idealization as saviors. And when the "saviors" fail to provide fantasy fulfillment (for example, Hitler's hope of making a living as an artist), they end up being demonized.
Here is a talk about October 7 and art:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIrTXxO1K48
All the best with your writing!
Thank you!