Marcuse on Art

"The work of art cannot be comprehended in terms of social theory, neither can it be comprehended in terms of philosophy. Art has its own language and illuminates reality only through this language. (It) communicates truths not communicable in any other language: it contradicts... What appears in art as remote from the praxis of change demands recognition as a necessary element in a future praxis of liberation... Art cannot change the world, but it can contribute to changing the consciousness and drives of the men and women who could change the world." -Herbert Marcuse Bogartted from J Karl