Good art theory must smell of the studio, although its language should differ from the household talk of painters and sculptors.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
The arts are neglected because they are based on perception, and perception is disdained because it is not assumed to involve thought.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The arts are often overlooked because they rely on subjective experience, which is mistakenly seen as less intellectual than logical thought.
Rudolf Arnheim's quote highlights the undervaluation of the arts in society, suggesting that arts, which thrive on perception and personal interpretation, are dismissed as less significant compared to fields that emphasize analytical thinking. This perspective reveals a societal tendency to favor objective reasoning over subjective experience, leading to a neglect of artistic expression and its importance in understanding the human condition.
Themes
ArtsPerceptionThoughtNeglectValueSubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in an art class to spark discussions about the importance of perception in creativity.
More from Rudolf Arnheim
All quotes βThe dance, just as the performance of the actor, is kinesthetic art, art of the muscle sense. The awareness of tension and relaxation within his own body, the sense of balance that distinguishes the proud stability of the vertical from the risky adventures of thrusting and falling--these are the tools of the dancer.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
Nothing is more humbling than to look with a strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and articulated and striped with the same care and imagination.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
Once it is recognized that productive thinking in any area of cognition is perceptual thinking, the central function of art in general education will become evident.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
Man's striving for order, of which art is but one manifestation, derives from a similar universal tendency throughout the organic world; it is also paralleled by, and perhaps derived from, the striving towards the state of simplest structure in physical systems.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
Variety is more than a means of avoiding boredom, since art is more than an entertainment of the senses.
Rudolf ArnheimRead
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