When you stop doing something, it doesn't mean you are rejecting the previous work. That's the mistake; it's not rejecting it, it's saying, 'I have exploited it enough now and I wish to take a look at another corner.'
David HockneyRead
I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure...ther e is always, everywhere, an enormous amount of suffering. But I believe my duty as an artist is to overcome and alleviate the sterility of despair...New ways of seeing mean new ways of feeling... I do believe that painting can change the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art serves to provide pleasure and hope amidst suffering and despair.
In this quote, David Hockney expresses his belief that art has a profound role in society by offering deep pleasure and emotional relief in a world filled with suffering. He emphasizes the artist's responsibility to transform despair into new ways of seeing and feeling, suggesting that true art has the power to inspire change and uplift the human experience.
Themes
ArtPleasureSufferingDespairEmotionChange
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the transformative power of creativity in schools.
More from David Hockney
All quotes →I'm interested in all kinds of pictures, however they are made, with cameras, with paint brushes, with computers, with anything.
David HockneyRead
I've always wanted to be able to paint the dawn.
David HockneyRead
My only worry is the painting I'm doing. Nothing else.
David HockneyRead
In fact, most artists want to make things a bit more difficult for themselves as they go along, to challenge themselves.
David HockneyRead
I can get excitement watching rain on a puddle. And then I paint it. Now, I admit, there are not too many people who would find that exciting. But I would. And I want life thrilling and rich. And it is. I make sure it is.
David HockneyRead
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