Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Artists aim to make their work more profound and thought-provoking.
Francis Bacon suggests that the role of an artist is to create work that challenges perception and invites deeper contemplation, rather than simply providing clarity or straightforward representations. This emphasizes the idea that art should evoke questions and emotions, pushing both the artist and the audience to explore the complexities of existence and understanding.
Themes
ArtistMysteryDepthCreativityContemplation
In practice
Example use cases
In an art class, to inspire students: 'Remember, the job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.'
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
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Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
Francis BaconRead
Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
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Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
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