A man climbs a mountain because it is there. An artist makes a work of art because it is not there.
Carl AndreRead
My art springs from my desire to have things in the world which would otherwise never be there.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the artist's drive to create and introduce new elements to the world through their art.
In this quote, Carl Andre expresses the intrinsic motivation behind his artistic creation. He implies that art arises from a deep-seated desire to manifest new ideas, forms, and experiences that do not exist in the world without the artist's vision and effort. It emphasizes the role of artists as creators who enhance reality by adding beauty and thought-provoking elements, ultimately serving to inspire and connect people through new expressions.
Themes
ArtCreationDesireInnovationExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on the importance of creativity at a school graduation.
More from Carl Andre
All quotes →My art will reflect not necessarily conscious politics but the unanalysed politics of my life.
Carl AndreRead
Every time you work, you have to do it all over again, to rid yourself of this dross. I suppose for a person who is not an artist or not attempting art, it is not dross, because it is the common exchange of everyday life.
Carl AndreRead
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As a writer, I demand the right to write any character in the world that I want to write. I demand the right to be them, I demand the right to think them and I demand the right to tell the truth as I see they are.
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In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.
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I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.
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There's a crystallization that goes on in a poem which the young man can bring off, but which the middle-aged man can't.
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