I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers – they just fade away.
Lawrence FerlinghettiRead
The art has to make it on its own, without explanations, and it’s the same for poetry. If the poem or the painting has to be explained, then it’s a failure in communication.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art and poetry should be self-explanatory; if they need explaining, they fail to communicate effectively.
This quote emphasizes the intrinsic value of art and poetry, suggesting that their true impact lies in their ability to convey meaning without the need for external explanations. According to Ferlinghetti, a genuine work of art should resonate with the audience through its form and content alone, indicating that if an audience requires a guide to understand it, the artwork has not succeeded in its purpose.
Themes
ArtPoetryCommunicationMeaningCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion about the value of interpretation in art classes.
More from Lawrence Ferlinghetti
All quotes →Poets, come out of your closets, Open your windows, open your doors, You have been holed up too long in your closed worlds... Poetry should transport the public/to higher places/than other wheels can carry it.
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Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience, the poet, like an acrobat, climbs on rhyme to a high wire of his own making.
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The state of the world calls out for poetry to save it.
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Don't bow down to critics who have not themselves written great masterpieces.
Lawrence FerlinghettiRead
Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.
Lawrence FerlinghettiRead
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