An abstract painting need in 50 years by no means look "abstract" any longer.
Marcel DuchampRead
I refused to accept anything, doubted everything. So, doubting everything, I had to find something that had not existed before, something I had not thought of before. Any idea that came to me, the thing would be to turn it around and try to see it with another set of senses.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of skepticism and creative thinking in the artistic process.
Marcel Duchamp's quote reflects the notion that a true artist must challenge conventional beliefs and perceptions. By refusing to accept established norms and embracing doubt, the artist embarks on a journey of exploration, seeking innovative ideas and perspectives that have not previously been considered. This approach allows for the transformation of ideas through unconventional thinking, fostering creativity and originality in art.
Themes
ArtCreativityDoubtInnovationPerception
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in an art class to inspire students to think creatively.
More from Marcel Duchamp
All quotes →All this twaddle, the existence of God, atheism, determinism, liberation, societies, death, etc., are pieces of a chess game called language, and they are amusing only if one does not preoccupy oneself with 'winning or losing this game of chess.
Marcel DuchampRead
I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position.
Marcel DuchampRead
I never finished the 'Large Glass' because, after working on it for eight years, I probably got interested in something else; also, I was tired. It may be that, subconsciously, I never intended to finish it because the word 'finish' implies an acceptance of traditional methods and all the paraphernalia that accompany them.
Marcel DuchampRead
It's a product of two poles - there's the pole of the one who makes the work, and the pole of the one who looks at it. I give the latter as much importance as the one who makes it.
Marcel DuchampRead
I became a librarian at the Sainte-Genevieve Library in Paris. I made this gesture to rid myself of a certain milieu, a certain attitude, to have a clean conscience, but also to make a living. I was twenty-five. I had been told that one must make a living, and I believed it.
Marcel DuchampRead
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