Art for a higher purpose

[jchitty]

I was thinking the other day about artists, composers and writers who had limited or no success in their lifetimes, but whose works now (such as Van Gogh) now fetch exhorbitant prices. But aside from the money, he left the art world a great contribution. Van Gogh toiled away for years, hindered by mental illness and poverty. But he was compelled to paint, and quite a few biographers have said that he painted because he believed it was his purpose to do so anyway, regardless of any monetary gain he might have achieved on earth. His brother, an art dealer only sold one of Van Gogh's paintings during his lifetime, and he didn't get that much money for it.Herman Melville had some early success with Billy Budd, but after that, his success dried up. He went onto write "Moby Dick" of course, but even though it's an American masterpiece, he died in obscurity. Edgar Allen Poe wrote countless short stories, and managed to eke a living, but his family still lived in poverty.John Kennedy Toole wrote, "A Confederacy of Dunces" (one of the best Southern novels ever), but never lived to see the success of it....he committed suicide before it was ever published.Mozart also struggled with tough reviews when he was alive...he wasn't given the breaks other composers were, but his music was so great, it lived on.Do any of you folks ever think you're writing for a higher purpose...that this is what you're supposed to do, regardless of any recognition you might get in your lifetime? Not that I could ever compare modern day songwriting with the art of the past, but do you some of you feel that you're driven for some purpose you don't know yet, but that you are compelled to do anyway?And do any of you have favorite examples of people who didn't get much recognition during their lifetimes, but after death, were recognized?Sometimes, people just write for art's sake. They feel they've been called to do it, no matter what the outcome.And of course, in my case, it's show me the money baby! But I also think that higher purpose thingy can come into play at times.