Every canvas is a journey all its own.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
Art has a will of its own. It has nothing to do with the taste of the moment or what's expected of you. That's a formula for dead art, or fashionable art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art exists independently of trends and external expectations, and true creativity arises from genuine expression.
In this quote, Helen Frankenthaler emphasizes the intrinsic value of art, arguing that it should not be confined to current trends or societal expectations. When art is created merely to please or align with what is popular, it loses its vitality and becomes 'dead art.' True artistic expression derives from a deep personal will, standing apart from fleeting fashions and embracing authenticity.
Themes
ArtExpressionCreativityAuthenticityTrends
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture about the importance of authenticity in artistic expression.
More from Helen Frankenthaler
All quotes →There are many accidents that are nothing but accidents-and forget it. But there are some that were brought about only because you are the person you are... you have the wherewithal, intelligence, and energy to recognize it and do something with it.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
I don't start with a color order, but find the colors as I go.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
We would sift through every inch of what it was that worked, or if it didn't, and wonder what was effective in it, in terms of paint, the subject matter, the size, the drawing.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
What concerns me when I work, is not whether the picture is a landscape, or whether it's pastoral, or whether somebody will see a sunset in it. What concerns me is - did I make a beautiful picture?
Helen FrankenthalerRead
I don't resent being a female painter. I don't exploit it. I paint.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
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Now we sit through Shakespeare in order to recognize the quotations.
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