Roland Barthes' 'Death of the Author' initiated a re-examination of the totalitarian author. Is such a nihilistic approach necessary? Discuss with regard to art practice.
I won't bore you with the whole essay, but here is the last paragraph:
Unfortunately, it seems Barthes’ approach was not nihilistic enough. The death of the totalitarian artist left a gap that was filled not by the revolutionary birth of the viewer but by the totalitarian rules of the art game. To overthrow this new tyranny, it is up to those playing roles within the art world to change the rules of the game. For art to be free, we must wage a revolutionary guerrilla war by subverting and disrupting the structures of our roles until they no longer play the same tyrannical functions within the system. The death of the totalitarian author must be followed by the death of the totalitarian art world. Everyone must die.
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