Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a lot of art that was sneered at by the ArtWorld pundits, like Norman Rockwell's work, have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, not that Rockwell's work was ever all that unpopular, among the population at large. At the same time, 'cutting edge' art, defined as most of it is by the terms Deconstruction, Commodification, and Irony, has had what diminishing support it still had, undercut even further, in a political climate that seeks to affirm American values, patriotism, and culture.
One of the dangers inherent in over-politicizing one's work in the Fine Arts, is that when the political winds (or the winds of political correctness) suddenly change course, one is left with their name, and all of their previous work, inextricably linked to a suddenly unpopular cause, opinion, or world-view. Taking the opposite course, of presenting work that is not political at all, is no solution at all, for most painters, because then, you wind up standing for nothing at all, which is almost anathema to the Fine Arts.
The only reasonable course I can see, for myself at least, is to take some real time and care in deciding who I am, and what I stand for, and against, to such a degree that if the political climate suddenly changes, I am willing to continue to wear my opinions proudly and stubbornly, with a near-absolute certainty that they are right, even if the rest of humanity says I am wrong.
The worst possible thing that I could do, would be to choose the beliefs that I will express through my work, according to what is popular at the moment. That would be spiritual suicide, and eventually suicide for my work as well. If I am one day going to enjoy general unpopularity for my opinions (which I expect to be the case, at least a few times in my lifetime, if I am doing my job well), at least I will wind up suffering for my own real, genuine opinions, and not somebody else's opinions, that I only adopted as my own, for the purpose of being 'popular'.
Our politicians are liars and manipulators. The leaders of 'Big Business' are liars and manipulators. Our lawyers, judges, doctors, drug companies and insurers, are, on the other hand, manipulators and liars. A lot of our artists have joined the club as well.
Since September 11, 2001, there has been some notable turnarounds in this respect. Cops and Firefighters have become almost national heroes. Those who were present at the World Trade center, rushed into harms way in the performance of their duties (this was really nothing extraordinary for them, they were doing the same things on all the days leading up to September 11th), and died during the performance of those duties, when the towers collapsed on them. The sudden reversal of attitude that the general public is displaying toward Police and Firefighters (to a lesser degree, since they were always admired) makes it possible for them to change, in order for them to fit this new public perception of them. I can only imagine that for a lot of cops, seeing a little respect and even occasional admiration in the eyes of the people they serve, will make the performance of that often dangerous service a lot easier.
One of the key elements that lead to America's successes to date, in the armed conflict they are engaged in, has been that American politicians have spoken the truth more often than the leaders of those they are waging war against. Who knows, perhaps a higher degree of honesty among our politicians might become the wave of the future. After all, it was lies that created the situation that launched the September 11th attacks in the first place; American lies, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Israeli, and Islamic lies (to name just a few). The real 'winner' in the current conflict, will be the one who emerges with a culture that entertains less of a propensity for bullshit, than was entertained prior to September 11, 2001. Honesty really is the best policy, and it is a monument to human stupidity, that in spite of most people learning this simple maxim as small children, so many of us grow up into lying deceiving bullshitting adults, who seem bent on defying even the law of gravity, by claiming endlessly that they can fly, or at least walk on water.
If it is possible for politicians to lapse into honesty, during a national emergency, then anything is possible, and my faith in the human possibility is revived! People deserve honesty, from their political, business, and cultural institutions. Honesty does not presume truth (which is absolute), but only the intent of the person delivering the message. Where the fine arts are concerned, delivering a cultural message that is dishonest, for reasons of money, power, or prestige, is just as criminal as being a crooked cop, in the field of law enforcement, or a lying politician in the field of national politics, or of knowingly selling a product that is injurious to your customers, in the business community, or for a news reporter to fake a source, to get a big headline, in that profession.
If I can make (and keep) a single New Year's Resolution, it would be that whatever I paint, write, or program, it is as near to what I believe to be true, as I am capable of delivering. That way, even if my 'truth' turns out to be false, I will be only guilty of honesty.