I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.
W. Eugene SmithRead
I can’t stand these damn shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for art in museums to connect more deeply with real life rather than being distanced by presentation.
W. Eugene Smith's quote critiques the conventional presentation of artwork in museums, highlighting a preference for art that represents the rawness and authenticity of life rather than being neatly framed and displayed as mere images. He challenges the viewer to engage with art on a more profound level, suggesting that true art should evoke real emotions and experiences, thus fostering a more genuine connection between the observer and the artwork.
Themes
ArtMuseumLifeEmotionExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During an art lecture, to emphasize the importance of engaging with art beyond surface-level observations.
More from W. Eugene Smith
All quotes →Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Up to and including the moment of exposure, the photographer is working in an undeniably subjective way. By his choice of technical approach, by the selection of the subject matterand by his decision as to the exact cinematic instant of exposure, he is blending the variables of interpretation into an emotional whole.
W. Eugene SmithRead
I try to take what voice I have and I give it to those who don’t have one at all.
W. Eugene SmithRead
The photographer must bear the responsibility for his work and its effect …[for] photographic journalism, because of its tremendous audience reached by publications using it, has more influence on public thinking than any other branch of photography.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Many claim I am a photographer of tragedy. In the greater sense I am not, for though I often photograph where the tragic emotion is present, the result is almost invariably affirmative.
W. Eugene SmithRead
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