If you feel dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.
BanksyRead
I'd been painting rats for three years before someone said 'that's clever it's an anagram of art' and I had to pretend I'd known that all along.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously reflects on how creativity can often be seen as coincidental rather than intentional.
In this quote, Banksy highlights the unexpected interplay between art and language through the clever coincidence of the word 'rats' being an anagram for 'art'. It underscores the notion that sometimes an artist's work may be interpreted in ways they did not initially foresee, prompting a lighthearted admission of unintentional brilliance in their work.
Themes
ArtAnagramCreativityCleverHumor
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used to lighten the mood in an art class when discussing the creative process.
More from Banksy
All quotes →T.V. has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting but graffiti has remained gloriously unspoilt by progress.
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I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I'm not sure I like it enough.
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Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub, you know, the one opposite that wall with a picture of a monkey holding a chainsaw". I mean, how much more useful can a painting be than that?
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Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a f**king sharp knife to it.
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Gaza is often described as 'the world's largest open air prison' because no-one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons - they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.
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