Artistic Taste And the NEA

In "Titanic," Rose and her fianc, Cal, are clearly incompatible in many ways, and taste in art is one of them. He belittles her admiration for Monets and Picassos. Jack, on the other hand, is instantly drawn to Rose's collection of paintings. Their shared artistic taste adds spark to a budding romance.

As with each of them, artistic taste reveals something about a person. That's why, on Feb. 6, I asked you to tell us about your favorite artists. It was an attempt to get better acquainted with our readers. And it's been delightful to hear from you. You'll find these responses on Pages B4-B5.

We'll oon be asking for your views again, this time on a more political matter: government funding for the arts. As temperatures climbed into the sultry 80s in Washington this week, things also heated up for the National Endowment for the Arts. This time the beleaguered agency is at the center of a Supreme Court hearing on decency standards. Before the important ruling, expected in July, we will take a close look at the issues related to arts funding, and as I said, solicit your opinions on the matter.

Thanks, in advance, for participating. In the meantime, send comments on the Arts & Leisure section to wolcott@csmonitor.com