Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure.
People always make the mistake of thinking art is created for them. But really, art is a private language for sophisticates to congratulate themselves on their superiority to the rest of the world. As my artist’s statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art is often misunderstood as being created for the audience, when in reality it serves as a personal expression for the artist.
This quote emphasizes the notion that art is not merely a product intended for public consumption; rather, it is a personal, private expression meant to communicate complex ideas and emotions understood primarily by the artist and a select audience. It highlights the disconnect between the artist's intentions and the audience's reception, suggesting that true artistry lies in its depth and the unique personal significance it holds, as opposed to its accessibility or popularity.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a gallery opening, you might use this quote to explain the nature of artistic expression.
More from Bill Watterson
All quotes →Sometimes when I'm talking, my words can't keep up with my thoughts. I wonder why we think faster than we speak. Probably so we can think twice.
The secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse
Shutting off the thought process is not rejuvenating; the mind is like a car battery - it recharges by running.
Mothers are the necessity of invention.
Dad: Honey, have you seen my glasses? I can"t find them. Mom: I haven't seen them. Calvin: (with glasses, to Dad) Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!
Similar quotes
Surely it is a magical thing for a handful of words, artfully arranged, to stop time. To conjure a place, a person, a situation, in all its specificity and dimensions. To affect us and alter us, as profoundly as real people and things do.
When you play a sax, that saxophone is irreverent. It's noisy; it's a trickster... you cannot hide the saxophone in your hands, so it's a good teacher.
Journalism is not a precise science, it's a crude art
The great thing about jamming is that you come in with zero preconceptions. Someone might want to play something that suggests something else to you, and the next thing you know you're on a 20-minute adventure.
True literature can exist only where it is created, not by diligent and trustworthy functionaries, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels, and skeptics.
A farmer, a hunter, a soldier, a reporter, even a philosopher, may be daunted; but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by pure love. Who can predict his comings and goings? His business calls him out at all hours, even when doctors sleep.