“Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.”
Quotes about art
882 quotes
Quotes, most loved first
“Winners have the ability to step back from the canvas of their lives like an artist gaining perspective. They make their lives a work of art - an individual masterpiece.”
“The art of motherhood involves much silent, unobtrusive self-denial, an hourly devotion which finds no detail too minute.”
“It is the addition of strangeness to beauty that constitutes the romantic character in art.”
“It is no great art to say something briefly when, like Tacitus, one has something to say when one has nothing to say, however, and none the less writes a whole book and makes truth into a liar - that I call an achievement.”
“If we know the divine art of concentration, if we know the divine art of meditation, if we know the divine art of contemplation, easily and consciously we can unite the inner world and the outer world.”
“When I am finishing a picture, I hold some God-made object up to it - a rock, a flower, the branch of a tree or my hand - as a final test. If the painting stands up beside a thing man cannot make, the painting is authentic. If there's a clash between the two, it's bad art.”
“There is nothing new in art except talent.”
“All that we call ideal in Greek or any other art, because to us it is false and visionary, was, to the makers of it, true and existent.”
“What is art? Nature concentrated.”
“Creative without strategy is called 'art.' Creative with strategy is called 'advertising.'”
“All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God.”
“History develops, art stands still.”
“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.”
“All humanity is passion without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual.”
“We are all hungry and thirsty for concrete images. Abstract art will have been good for one thing: to restore its exact virginity to figurative art.”
“Those who gave thee a body, furnished it with weakness but He who gave thee Soul, armed thee with resolution. Employ it, and thou art wise be wise and thou art happy.”
“Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.”
“Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself. In becoming an end it defeats itself.”
“Criticism is the windows and chandeliers of art: it illuminates the enveloping darkness in which art might otherwise rest only vaguely discernible, and perhaps altogether unseen.”
“Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.”
“Really I don't like human nature unless all candied over with art.”
“O, thou art fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars.”
“Where thou art, that is home.”