I wanted to deal with light directly rather than with paint.
James TurrellRead
All art is contemporary art because it had to be made when it was now.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art is rooted in its own time; it reflects the current moment of its creation.
This quote by James Turrell emphasizes that all forms of art are fundamentally tied to the moment in which they were created. Each piece emerges from a specific cultural, social, and historical context, thereby marking it as contemporary to that time, regardless of when it is viewed in the future.
Themes
ArtContemporaryCreationMomentTime
In practice
Example use cases
In an art gallery discussion, one might use this quote to illustrate the relevance of historical context in evaluating art.
More from James Turrell
All quotes →It is only when light is reduced that the pupil opens and feeling goes out of the eyes like touch.
James TurrellRead
I feel that I want to use light as this wonderful and magic elixir that we drink as Vitamin D through the skin - and I mean, we are literally light-eaters - to then affect the way that we see.
James TurrellRead
In many cases, if we knew what it would take, we might have thought twice about it, so it's often wonderful that we don't have hindsight.
James TurrellRead
There are different stages when you fly. The first stage is the dollhouse effect, seeing everything on Earth like it's a model. Suddenly, all of your concerns seem very small.
James TurrellRead
Space has a way of looking. It seems like it has a presence of vision. When you come into it, it is there, it’s been waiting for you.
James TurrellRead
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