On the responsibility of artists in their commitment to peace and human dignity

by Nicole Duprat, France*

In 1939, the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso unveiled his painting ‘Guernica’ as a condemnation of the bombing of the small Basque village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. He insisted that the work should not be returned to Spain until democracy had been restored. It was not until 1981, following the adoption of a new constitution and the establishment of a democratic government, that the work was brought to Madrid.
(picture Wikimedia Commons)

There is beauty in the very act of reflection … Reflection is not speculation.
  Peace and human dignity are deeply intertwined. True artists are not mere dreamers; they fulfil an important role in society. They are Ambassadors of Peace through their work to unite peoples.
  Everyone is familiar with Picasso’s paintings—works that rebelled against war, such as “Guernica” and “Faces of Peace”. However, peace is not merely the absence of war. It is, first and foremost, an inner journey.
  Peace begins with dignity, and dignity is realised when every person is protected, respected and loved.
  Leonardo da Vinci did not place dignity in theories or treatises, but in the embodiment of human behaviour. He did not have a naïve or purely idealistic view of humanity; his work and his sketchbooks reveal a constant tension between the greatness of man and his moral wretchedness. Deeply influenced by the violent politics of his time (he experienced Machiavelli), he depicted human cruelty. His drawings of grotesque faces show that a rational human being can abandon their dignity to become a monster of savage fury.
  Respect for Life: da Vinci’s vision of human dignity extends beyond the human realm. Several contemporary accounts state that, at the market in Florence, he would buy caged birds to set them free, believing that all forms of life deserve respect.
  There is a proverb in France: “Music soothes the soul”. Let us commend the initiative of Daniel Barenboim, the pianist and conductor, who formed an orchestra – “the Divan Orchestra” – bringing together young Palestinian and Israeli musicians to play music in harmony for everyone’s enjoyment, proving that another world is possible.
  Human dignity is not only that which each individual carries within themselves, but also that which we bestow upon others by helping them to rebuild their lives with strength and courage, and to heal from their wounds—both physical and emotional. A huge thank you to the paediatrician Béat Richner, who, with unwavering dedication, provided high-quality medical care at the Kantha Bopha Paediatric Hospital in Cambodia for the most disadvantaged, giving Cambodian families the means to find the strength to take control of their own destinies. Known by his stage name Beatocello – a musician-clown or clown-musician – he undertook to give concerts on his cello to raise funds for the construction of five new hospitals where free care is provided for sick and poor children. May our gratitude to him last for ever! “The cello expresses itself just like a person.” These are his words.
  Industrial societies, with their focus on profitability, have destroyed humanity’s capacity for wonder. How can we remedy this? Simply by taking a quiet walk through the forests and all the green spaces that Nature offers us, to rediscover harmony, tranquillity and renewal. Furthermore, it has been scientifically proven that being in green spaces strengthens the immune system.
  Beauty lies not in what is seen but in the act of seeing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. •

* Nicole Duprat is a graduate of the Department of Law and International Relations at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques et Diplomatiques in Aix-en-Provence (France). She trained as a state-certified teacher at the Saint Cassien Pedagogical Institute (Marseille) and, after conducting research in Florence, worked as a teacher in French schools. Nicole Duprat works as an artist and craftswoman in a corresponding association (AVF) in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. She is a contributor to Zeit-Fragen/Horizons et débats and lives in the Avignon region (Provence).