What is art? Prostitution. – Charles Baudelaire
With this stark pronouncement, the iconic French poet and essayist challenges our usual reverence for art. Rather than lauding it as a pure, transcendent expression of human creativity, Baudelaire provocatively aligns art with a transaction – a notion that art is, in some sense, “sold” or offered for public consumption. Why would a poet of Baudelaire’s stature make such a jarring comparison, and what can it reveal about his understanding of artistic creation and society’s relationship to it?
Context and Provocation
Charles Baudelaire wrote and lived during the mid-19th century in Paris, a time of significant cultural, social, and economic upheaval. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, creating both vast wealth and widespread poverty. The city’s rapidly changing environment fueled new forms of artistic and literary expression, yet also intensified questions of patronage, commercialism, and social class.
In this setting, Baudelaire’s statement, “What is art? Prostitution,” is a bold provocation. It rattles the conventional romantic ideal of the artist as a solitary genius who produces beauty for beauty’s sake, untouched by market concerns or public demand. Instead, he suggests that art—however lofty its aspirations—inevitably becomes something to be “consumed” by an audience, often requiring the artist to cater to popular tastes, wealthy patrons, or the approval of critics.
The Artist’s Dilemma
For Baudelaire, art and the act of creating do not exist in a vacuum. Even if an artist seeks to uphold a personal vision, the realities of earning a living, achieving fame, or merely being acknowledged by the public can distort the creative process. Thus, art is “prostituted” when artists find themselves molding or compromising their work to please external forces—be they financial patrons, public opinion, or a cultural establishment.
Moreover, Baudelaire’s comparison of art to prostitution may highlight the intimacy and vulnerability involved in offering up one’s creative self. Just as a person in prostitution sells something highly personal—body or intimacy—for external gain, the artist “sells” or exposes their innermost thoughts and visions. In return, they seek monetary compensation, prestige, or social relevance. Baudelaire, in his writings, often lamented the tension between genuine artistic integrity and the lure of public or commercial validation.
Reinterpreting Baudelaire’s Provocation
While the statement is intentionally provocative, it also draws attention to the nuanced relationship between art, artist, and audience. Artists cannot entirely evade the influence of their social, economic, or political circumstances. Recognition, patronage, and the quest for legitimacy inevitably shape what artists produce. Some may argue that these external pressures compromise purity and authenticity, while others maintain that interaction with an audience, society, or marketplace can spark innovation and keep art relevant.
Ultimately, Baudelaire’s quote invites us to question the assumptions we hold about why art is created and how it circulates within society. By using such a stark metaphor, he underscores the uncomfortable reality that art, often romanticized as a pure form of expression, is inescapably tied to systems of commerce, patronage, and public opinion—forces that can both nurture and corrupt its essence. Whether we see his words as a cynical condemnation or a sobering truth, they endure as a compelling reminder that art and society are inseparable, interdependent, and forever entangled in an uneasy dance of creation and consumption.
Suggested book: Les Fleurs du Mal