Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers.
Robert HenriRead
I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that art should be a way to enrich life rather than just a source of income.
Robert Henri suggests that the true value of art lies in its ability to enhance our existence and provide deeper meaning to our lives, rather than merely serving as a financial pursuit. By prioritizing art for its life-enhancing qualities, individuals can experience fulfillment and connection to the world around them.
Themes
ArtLifeExpressionCreativityLiving
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education, this quote can illustrate the value of art beyond financial gain.
More from Robert Henri
All quotes βKnow what the old masters did. Know how they composed their pictures, but do not fall into the conventions they established. These conventions were right for them, and they are wonderful. They made their language. You make yours. All the past can help you.
Robert HenriRead
The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to note them down in the shorthand of his sketchbook.
Robert HenriRead
You form a society: that limits you. Adopt a name, and you've limited yourself again; draw up a constitution and bylaws and you've made a groove, a rut, that hampers your growth. You think you can fix your course and move straight along it. But sometimes the important thing is to strike out sidewise.
Robert HenriRead
After all, the goal is not making art. It is living a life. Those who live their lives will leave the stuff that is really art.
Robert HenriRead
Do not let the fact that things are not made for you, that conditions are not as they should be stop you. Go on anyway. Everything depends on those who go on anyway.
Robert HenriRead
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No poem is worth anything unless it starts from a poetic trance, out of which you can be wakened by interruption as from a dream. In fact, it is the same thing.
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