Precis writing solved exercise with Title “The Duty of an Artist” for Class 10, 12 and Competitive Examination.

Precis exercise on “The Duty of an Artist”

On the duty of the artist in the coming years, much has been said, indeed, rather too much. He is always being preached at and being told that he ought to preach. Naturally, he will be interested in his surroundings and want to comment on them, he will express the feelings of his people and reflect their attitude and he will, if generous-minded, desire to champion the oppressed and reform abuses. But to say that his fundamental duty is to preach these things is to mistake his function. His fundamental duty is to do his job. He must, first and foremost, write properly, paint properly, and express himself as an individual. When he has done that, his message-if he has one is sure to show through. I am all against his starting, off with a message: if he does that, he is not an artist, he is a pamphleteer. His message, however deeply he feels it, must come out incidentally. When he is actually writing or painting, or whatever it is, his fundamental feeling ought to be: ‘Let me make something, not ‘Let me preach. His primary duty is not to society but to himself.

Number of words= 198

Solved Precis

Title: The Duty of an Artist

A lot has been said about an artist’s duty towards the society. He is generally told to preach. Naturally, he has to express his surroundings and his reactions to them. But he must not start with any didactic purpose. It is a pamphleteer only who does so. A true artist writes or paints for the sake of art alone. His message, if any, comes out of its own.

Number of words in the precis = 65