Öz
Art and artists have occupied a focal interest for people over the centuries, and this interest has had a continuous effect in every section of the society starting from prehistory. The artworks produced in areas of fine arts, architecture, literature, music, and performance arts, have an undeniable importance in shaping the human history.
Although we agree about the importance of art, it is difficult to find answers for such questions of ‘what is art? ‘How is it conceived?’ or ‘what does it contribute to?’ Definition of art is mostly based on ambiguous criteria, and in reality, because artists make use of this ambiguity, it will probably continue to remain as it is.
Idealist approach claims that art should only be serving art instead of financial interests. Therefore, ‘art for the society’ is not even accepted as art. Even though it is widely acknowledged that such an idealist attitude is not sufficient for the artistic development, when earning profit through art making is on the agenda, people usually prefer to keep quite. However, monetization of artworks is very crucial, as it is the case for everything else. In this article, although we may find it ethically challenging, the effect of monetary gains on the development of art and artists will be examined.