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[[Art]], according to Objectivism, serves a need to allow man to ''perceive'' directly that which normally he can only ''conceive''. Art, in short, makes things real. An [[artist]] is any person who presents abstract concepts in concrete ways.

[[Art]], according to Objectivism, serves a need to allow man to ''perceive'' directly that which normally he can only ''conceive''. Art, in short, makes things real. An [[artist]] is any person who presents abstract concepts in concrete ways.

Objectivism's take on art is simple: art should uplift, and present uplifting things. The favorite school of art among students of Objectivism is [[Romantic realism]], the name that Rand gave to a school of art that emphasizes human reason and ideals and primarily portrays people striving to do great deeds, rather than suffering great disasters--in short, being ''proactive'' rather than ''reactive''. Good art, in other words, celebrates that which Objectivism itself celebrates: the ideal rational man. forms of art that which emphasized emotion over reason, and especially anything that divorced emotion from reason, earned the consistent disdain of Rand and her colleagues. Similarly, Objectivism decries any form of art that shows human beings being reactive and slaves to emotion.

Objectivism's take on art is simple: art should uplift, and present uplifting things. The favorite school of art among students of Objectivism is [[Romantic realism]], the name that Rand gave to a school of art that emphasizes human reason and ideals and primarily portrays people striving to do great deeds, rather than suffering great disasters--in short, being ''proactive'' rather than ''reactive''. Good art, in other words, celebrates that which Objectivism itself celebrates: the ideal rational man. Forms of art that which emphasized emotion over reason, and especially anything that divorced emotion from reason, earned the consistent disdain of Rand and her colleagues. Similarly, Objectivism decries any form of art that shows human beings being reactive and slaves to emotion.

Pornography excited an interesting reaction. Objectivists detested it, on the grounds that [[sex]] was too important an activity for public display. But they feared censorship even more, on the ground that a government that stopped prurient content could stop political speech all the more easily. (Neither [[Ayn Rand]] nor any of her associates ever commented on such strictly private efforts as the [[Hays office]].)

Certain forms of expression receive nothing but scorn from adherents of Objectivism. One is [[pornography]], which Rand herself said was "unspeakably disgusting," and <blockquote>not because [[sex]] is bad, but precisely because it is ''good''--too good, and too important, to be the subject of a public ''anatomical'' display.</blockquote>

 

However, Rand's theory of sex was and remains highly controversial. In multiple scenes from her novels, and in a number of her essays, Rand made clear that the ideal sexual relationship would be in the context of the man being more powerful than the woman. Many such scenes in her novels could be quite disturbing and highly suggestive of sado-masochistic erotica. All of them shared one thing in common: the man held a more powerful position than did the woman in the civil society in which they both lived, and the man played a dominant role in the scene itself.

 

Some have alleged that Rand abstained from sexual relationships, in the belief that the value of intercourse in the free market markedly increased as the effective supply was reduced. This is not correct. Her married life was hardly sexless--and, sadly, her relationship with Branden was sexual also. It would lead to his divorce from his wife, and to his total personal and professional break with Rand in [[1968]].

== Controversies ==

== Controversies ==