War's dirty little secret is that some men love it.
Kathryn BigelowRead
Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art can portray difficult or controversial subjects without endorsing them.
Kathryn Bigelow's quote emphasizes that the role of artists is not to endorse the subjects they depict, but rather to explore and expose the complexities of human experience. By presenting inhumane practices or thorny topics through their work, artists challenge audiences to confront issues rather than accept them passively, thereby fostering dialogue and reflection within society.
Themes
ArtExpressionEndorsementRepresentationCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the responsibilities of artists in society.
More from Kathryn Bigelow
All quotes →I'd love to just think of myself as a filmmaker, and I wait for the day when the modifier can be a moot point.
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I began to exercise a lot of cinematic muscle with the precepts I had learned in the New York art world. Film was intriguing. I began to think of art as elitist; film was not.
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If there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.
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There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible.
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