Color contributes to beauty, but it is not beauty. Color should have a minor part in the consideration of beauty, because it is not color but the structure that constitutes its essence.
Johann Joachim WinckelmannRead
Grace can never properly be said to exist without beauty; for it is only in the elegant proportions of beautiful forms that can be found that harmonious variety of line and motion which is the essence and charm of grace.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Grace and beauty are intrinsically linked, as grace is found in the elegant forms of beauty.
In this quote, Johann Joachim Winckelmann emphasizes the deep connection between grace and beauty. He suggests that true grace cannot exist in isolation; rather, it is expressed through the beautiful proportions and movements of forms. This harmonious interplay of lines and motion captures the essence of grace, illustrating how beauty enhances our perception of elegance and charm.
Themes
GraceBeautyEleganceArtHarmony
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in an art class to discuss the relationship between form and beauty.
More from Johann Joachim Winckelmann
All quotes →Similar quotes
Choreography is writing on your feet.
Bob FosseRead
A truly good movie is enjoyable too. There’s nothing complicated about it.
Akira KurosawaRead
To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself. A naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude. (The sight of it as an object stimulates the use of it as an object.) Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. To be naked is to be without disguises.
John BergerRead
Music sets up certain vibration which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized.
George GershwinRead
My sole recreations consist in dancing English hornpipes and cutting capers. Italy is a land of sleep; I am always drowsy here.
Wolfgang Amadeus MozartRead
I am not a fashion victim. Fashion is my victim.
Karl LagerfeldRead