I asked her to look at me and after a few moments - (pause) - after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. (Pause. Low) Let me in.
Samuel BeckettRead
Art has nothing to do with clarity, does not dabble in the clear and does not make clear
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art does not prioritize clarity or straightforwardness; instead, it often embraces ambiguity and complexity.
In this quote, Samuel Beckett suggests that true art is not defined by its ability to be easily understood or interpreted. Rather, art thrives in the realms of uncertainty and obscurity, challenging audiences to engage with concepts and emotions that may defy simple explanation and comprehension.
Themes
ArtClarityAmbiguityExpressionCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During an art seminar, one might say, 'As Beckett points out, art has nothing to do with clarity, inviting us to explore deeper meanings.'
More from Samuel Beckett
All quotes βNothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
Samuel BeckettRead
I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.
Samuel BeckettRead
And what I have, what I am, is enough, was always enough for me, and as far as my dear little sweet little future is concerned I have no qualms, I have a good time coming.
Samuel BeckettRead
I love order. It's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust.
Samuel BeckettRead
We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom, our ideals.
Samuel BeckettRead
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Every scene, even the commonest, is wonderful, if only one can detach oneself, casting off all memory of use and custom, and behold it (as it were) for the first time; in its right, authentic colors; without making comparisons. Cherish and burnish this faculty of seeing crudely, simply, artlessly, ignorantly; of seeing like a baby or a lunatic, who lives each moment by itself and tarnishes by the present no remembrance of the past.
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When I am shooting a film I never think of how I want to shoot something; I simply shoot it.
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Real music will help you move towards meditation, beyond the mind needs, towards spiritual needs. Real poetry will give you a glimpse of the minds of the sages - a glimpse of course. It will open a window so you can see the faraway distant Himalayas. And then an urge arises in you, and you start travelling.
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Sometimes I see it and then paint it. Other times I paint it and then see it. Both are impure situations, and I prefer neither.
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When you make movies, it's such an important period of time, when you look back at each one of them. You want to be able to say that you did something that was a challenge and that changed you.
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