Is not the most erotic part of the body wherever the clothing affords a glimpse?
Roland BarthesRead
I think that cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals: I mean the supreme creation of an era, conceived with passion by unknown artists, and consumed in image if not in usage by a whole population which appropriates them as a purely magical object.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cars today are akin to Gothic cathedrals, representing the pinnacle of artistic achievement in their time.
In this quote, Roland Barthes draws a parallel between modern cars and Gothic cathedrals, suggesting that both are masterpieces of their respective eras, created with fervor by anonymous artisans. He highlights how these creations transcend their functional purposes, becoming objects of fascination and reverence for societies that admire them as symbols of artistry and culture.
Themes
CarsGothicArtCultureMasterpiece
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing modern design at an art conference.
More from Roland Barthes
All quotes →If I acknowledge my dependency, I do so because for me it is a means of signifying my demand: in the realm of love, futility is not a "weakness" or an "absurdity": it is a strong sign: the more futile, the more it signifies and the more it asserts itself as strength.)
Roland BarthesRead
The gesture of the amorous embrace seems to fulfill, for a time, the subject's dream of total union with the loved being: The longing for consummation with the other.
Roland BarthesRead
The text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture.
Roland BarthesRead
All those young photographers who are at work in the world, determined upon the capture of actuality, do not know that they are agents of Death.
Roland BarthesRead
Isn’t the most sensitive point of this mourning the fact that I must lose a language — the amorous language? No more ‘I love you’s.
Roland BarthesRead
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