It's interesting that Plato didn't like art of any sort--vilified theater strongly--because he thought its purpose was to create a mere appearance of physical Reality, which was already "one removed" from Truth. Art was dishonest.
This attitude of Plato can exist only where there is an Absolute Truth to be perceived by everyone, not "your" truth, or "my" truth, or differing but equally weighted points of view. It was the same in the USSR and Nazi Germany, where artists hungered for the opportunity to do what they could do and share it with the world. The Hermitage is filled with Impressionists' paintings not available for local viewing because the artists were demonstrating that perception was individual, fleeting, and valuable in itself. (Only Western guests were allowed in to see the collection.)
My favorite Expressionist, Nolde, created lovely landscapes. He was told by the Nazis to paint propaganda pictures, and he shrugged off the invitation, preferring his poppies blowing on a hillside. The SS broke into his home and dragged him out by the heels, and no one ever saw him again. Fortunately some of his works survived.
We love Plato's organized mind, and he deserves his towering place in history; but his opposition to art is very telling about his philosophy: There is One truth and our job is to learn it as best we can. That has precipitated the eternal carnage of all human history.
PW
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