An artist cannot be partially sincere any more than art can be an approximation of beauty.
Interpretation
True art requires complete sincerity from the artist, just as genuine beauty cannot be a mere imitation.
This quote emphasizes the idea that art is a reflection of the artist's sincerity and authenticity. Tarkovsky suggests that true artistic expression cannot be half-hearted; it demands a full commitment to genuine feelings and intentions. If an artist is not entirely sincere, the art they create cannot capture the true essence of beauty, leading to an inferior representation of their creative vision.
In practice
In a discussion about artistic integrity during an art gallery opening.
AN ARTISTIC DISCOVERY OCCURS EACH TIME AS A NEW AND UNIQUE IMAGE OF THE WORLD, A HIEROGLYPHIC OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH. IT APPEARS AS A REVELATION, AS A MOMENTARY, PASSIONATE WISH TO GRASP INTUITIVELY AND AT A STROKE ALL THE LAWS OF THIS WORLD-ITS BEAUTY AND UGLINESS, ITS COMPASSION AND CRUELTY, ITS INFINITY AND ITS LIMITATIONS.
When I speak of poetry I am not thinking of it as a genre. Poetry is an awareness of the world, a particular way of relating to reality. So poetry becomes a philosophy to guide a man throughout his life.
Art would be useless if the world were perfect.
Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in the artistic consciousness, in the pointless and selfless creative act? Perhaps our capacity to create is evidence that we ourselves were created in the image and likeness of God?
Above all, I feel that the sounds of this world are so beautiful in themselves that if only we could listen to them properly, cinema would have no need for music at all.
THE ARTISTIC IMAGE IS ALWAYS A METONYM, WHERE ONE THING IS SUBSTITUTED FOR ANOTHER, THE SMALLER FOR THE GREATER. TO TELL OF WHAT IS LIVING, THE ARTIST USES SOMETHING DEAD; TO SPEAK OF THE INFINITE, HE SHOWS THE FINITE.
You act in a movie, and at the end of the day, the director and editor decide what your performance is.
There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.
I cannot speak for more than an hour exclusively about poetry. At that point, life itself takes over again.
And I taught acting for years, and without knowing it that was the real thing that started bending me toward directing.
How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it
One of the interesting things an artist does is they keep rediscovering things, whether it's a jazz piece or a role you've done for 3,000 performances or a song you're singing for the 3,000th time. My job is to find that spark that keeps it fresh and alive.
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