You may have noticed that I am used to write Artist with the initial capital letter; this may seem excessively presumptuous, but it does not deal with the attribution of whatsoever supreme aura to a person.

Sure that it is quite sumptuous to read "the Artist" instead of "the artist", and I cannot conceal that the capital letter is also refined, but above all it is useful to underline the role of that individual that believe to be or is defined an Artist; in the society this role is in my opinion very important.

This is a matter of equality with the other figures of the culture's world, of the social roles and duties.
If it is true that one cares to write Engineer, Manager, Professor, Doctor, Teacher and Bishop, I don't understand why one could not use the capital letter for an Artist.
Among the artists, hierarchies do not exist: any artist can be an Artist.

The modern artist, the one born with the Renaissance, has assumed an active role in the intellectual evolution of the society bringing his own personal contribution, contrarily to what previously happened, for which the artist was considered just an artisan, an executive worker.

So, are the artists perhaps social figures less important than a Manager or an Engineer? I would really say not.
Or the difference perhaps is in the fact of having obtained or not academic degrees? No, the artistic activity surely cannot drown in the swamp of this classism for bureaucrats: the Artist, at least the one that I consider worthy to have the capital letter, is a person who makes a research, either metaphysical and spiritual or practical and materialist, and brings it to the society.

The Artist has a very important role; it could seem that only the politicians, the religious people, the scientists and the soldiers are changing the world, but it is also true that often just one artwork of an Artist can change the way of thinking of even millions of people: just think about the singers, the directors, the writers.

The Artist is one of the many individuals searching for an active and eminent role in the evolution of the human society. Hence it deserves to be considered as it is due. At least for the courage to have chosen a way not always easier than others.

Anyway, at last do not forget that, as a Professor or a Cardinal, also the Artist would not exist without the estimable Public (with capital letter).