Can You Truly Separate the Art from the Artist?

By A. Pate

Separating the art from the artist is a question that has made its way into the minds of many media enjoyers, especially in this day and age. With the amount of internet drama and horrible allegations that seem to crop up out of nowhere, it can be a frightening experience to suddenly find that the creator of your favorite piece of media is a terrible person. So, the question presents itself: are you still allowed to like that book? Or is it immoral to enjoy the works of a less-than-saintlike person?

There is a strong argument for separating the art from the artist. The Harry Potter franchise is an excellent example of this. J.K. Rowling is a TERF, which stands for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist, essentially meaning that she does not believe transgender women are women and wants to exclude them from women’s spaces (“TERF”, n.p.). This, of course, has created a difficult situation for many transgender people who were once fans of the series. The fandom has gone somewhat rogue, and much of the cast of the Harry Potter movies has come out to support trans rights. If Harry Potter meant a lot to someone as a child, why should it matter what the author thinks? After art has been shared with the world, it will never belong solely to the author again, and sometimes it could even be argued that it belongs even more so to the people who loved it and made it their own. But as a trans person, Hogwarts hasn’t quite been the same for me since learning that I and many of my friends wouldn’t be welcome there.

The issue of money is, of course, an ever-present one in our society. Giving your hard-earned money to a terrible person isn’t exactly a good feeling. Going back to the Harry Potter example, I refuse to purchase any more Hogwarts merchandise, because I don’t want to put any more money in the pockets of someone who denounces my very existence. I’ve been wanting to watch or read Good Omens for quite some time, but after multiple accounts of sexual assault by author and producer Neil Gaiman have been brought to light, I’m not sure if I should anymore (Glynn, n.p.). It isn’t necessarily because of the money–it just feels like the art has somehow been infected by the actions of the artist. Over the summer, I started listening to a band called The Orion Experience, but shortly after I learned of some truly disgusting acts committed by one of the band’s members, I started to see their songs in a different light now that I knew the full truth, and stopped listening to them altogether (listen to “Obsessed With You” and you’ll understand what I mean). One starts to wonder how much of the art was directly derived from the bad part of who the author is, and how much still retains the value it originally had.

An argument that I tend to agree with is that, after the death of the author, the work can be fully enjoyed without carrying the burden of the creator’s legacy. Sure, Edgar Allan Poe might not have been a perfect person, but he’s been gone so long now that we can enjoy “The Raven” without thinking about him marrying his cousin (Barzun and Cestre, n.p.). This method, of course, has its limitations–framing a painting made by Adolf Hitler would most definitely raise some eyebrows. Being long-dead obviously doesn’t excuse someone’s actions, and there is a line that should not be crossed, which must be determined on a case-by-case basis. But as long as one makes sure to appreciate the art without idolizing the artist, the works of those long past are pretty much fair game.

Regardless, it remains a complex issue. Not all bad deeds are created equal, and some reflect themselves more prominently in their perpetrator’s works than others. An absolutist position for either side will only result in more heated arguments with no good answers; the answer, as it often does, lies somewhere in the middle. No matter what side you decide to take, this debate certainly sparks interesting discussion about the meaning of art, and how closely art is connected to the person that created it.

Works Cited

Barzun, Jacques, Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, Cestre, Charles. "Edgar Allan Poe". Encyclopedia
    Britannica, 10 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe. Accessed 11           March 2025.

Glynn, Paul. “Neil Gaiman faces more sexual assault allegations.” BBC, 14 January 2025.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn01dynqx7ro. Accessed 10 March 2025.

“TERF.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/TERF. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.