QuoteProject
Art is an experience, not an object.
Robert Motherwell
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Art is about the feelings and experiences it evokes rather than the physical object itself.

This quote emphasizes that the essence of art lies in the emotional and personal experiences it creates for individuals, rather than focusing solely on the material aspects or the object itself. It suggests that art transcends mere objects and resides in the interaction and connection between the observer and the work, highlighting the subjective nature of artistic appreciation.

Themes

ArtExperienceEmotionPerceptionObject

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of emotional engagement in art therapy.

More from Robert Motherwell

A main part of the struggle of art has been to make an art that is direct, simple, humane, unconnected with powers that be in their essence... To the degree that it is connected with the bourgeoisie via the marketplace and so on is not necessarily an artist's problem.
Robert MotherwellRead
To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with.
Robert MotherwellRead
It's not that the creative act and the critical act are simultaneous. It's more like you blurt something out and then analyze it.
Robert MotherwellRead
Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.
Robert MotherwellRead

Similar quotes

In documentary filmmaking, there's a tradition of telling stories about victims. We often do that from a very patronizing place, but mostly we do it from a very selfish place, to reassure ourselves that our lives are in sympathy and solidarity with the victims.
Joshua OppenheimerRead
Man is made to create, from the poet to the potter.
Benjamin DisraeliRead
For years, I sort of would try to write a story that somehow fit the title. And I don't think it happened for maybe another four years that I actually thought of a story, the plot of a story that corresponded to that phrase.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
Music is the tonal reflection of beauty.
Duke EllingtonRead
I have never started a novel - I mean except the first, when I was starting a novel just to start a novel - I've never written one without rereading Victory. It opens up the possibilities of a novel. It makes it seem worth doing.
Joan DidionRead
I change the language with which I use my voice. In opera, I know I have an orchestra behind me; I have to communicate to people very far from me.
Andrea BocelliRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.