Sometimes knowing details about an artist clarifies things. As a classical musician, I’ve been fully exposed to the value of getting to know composers through program notes. When I would go to see the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra play, I would read through the notes on each piece. As I got older, I would even write some for orchestras I was in. A typical program note would include plenty of discussion of the art, but also a description of the composer’s personality and the circumstances of their life at the time they wrote the piece. The fact that Tchaikovsky died shortly after finishing his Sixth Symphony, the Pathetique, seems painfully relevant to its sadness. Bartok’s background as an ethnomusicologist adds context to his Romanian Folk Dances. Information about who the artist behind the art is can help fulfill the work and— perhaps— help elucidate its meaning.

But what happens when the artist’s actions, personality, or beliefs taint the art in some way? This question came up at the Table Talk “Playlist of Life.” Can (and should) someone support Kanye West if they find opinions he’s espoused publicly reprehensible? What about Chris Brown, who was arrested for assaulting Rihanna, his girlfriend at the time? Should we judge art by its quality alone, or does our approval of its creator matter?

This same issue comes up in classical music sometimes. Sergei Prokofiev wrote a virtuosic range of music, from atonal, technical pieces to heartbreaking melodic works (and some compositions that encompassed both styles). Yet by all accounts, he was a narcissist and cruelly bullied his fellow music students when he studied at a conservatory. Richard Wagner, a 19th century German composer, is widely regarded as a genius. His music is powerful and beautiful. Yet he was quite anti-semitic.

Their music does not overtly reflect the flaws in these composers. They are explorations of the human mind and soul, and on their own, they are beautiful. I listen to Prokofiev and Wagner’s music and enjoy it. The art, I believe, is praiseworthy. And the artists? Perhaps in the capacity of composers, they are worthy of applause. Perhaps in the capacity of people, not so much. Where the line between creator and personality exists is difficult to say.

This question is further complicated in artists that are alive today. To support their art as consumers and fans is to support the person. I’m not sure where our responsibility as consumers of art lies, but it’s an interesting question to consider.