What I hate about kitchen-sink dramas is [this idea] that the set is real, therefore you're going to be seeing truth. You have to earn truth. Truth can't be a part of the fact that people appear to talk that way and live in that room. You're looking for the poetry in something, and I don't mean poetry in the fancy sense. Naturalism believes by just replicating a thing you give the truth, rather than earning the truth.
Interpretation
The quote critiques kitchen-sink dramas by stating that true representation and truth in art must be earned, not just replicated.
John Guare's quote emphasizes the importance of depth and authenticity in artistic expression, particularly in the context of kitchen-sink dramas. He argues that simply imitating reality or creating a seemingly realistic setting does not guarantee that the art will convey genuine truth. Instead, he suggests that true artistic expression requires a deeper exploration and understanding of the human condition, where the nuances and complexities of life are turned into something poetic, transcending mere replication of reality.
In practice
In a film discussion about the authenticity of emotional representation among characters.
You must keep people happy backstage because that affects what's onstage. During a run, the playwright feels like the mayor of a small town filled with noble creatures who have to get out there and make it brand new every night. When a production works, it's unlike any other joy in the world.
If you're not ready to do a non-stop dialogue with fashion, you should do another job.
A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.
I believe the right question to ask, respecting all ornament, is simply this; was it done with enjoyment, was the carver happy while he was about it?
What lists and awards don't measure - and I feel this strongly - is the lasting value of any work of art. They're a snapshot of a moment, and one should always consider their judgments in that context.
At all ages, if [fantasy and myth] is used well by the author and meets the right reader, it has the same power: to generalize while remaining concrete, to present in palpable form not concepts or even experiences but whole classes of experience, and to throw off irrelevancies. Bat at its best it can do more; it can give us experiences we have never had and thus, instead of 'commenting on life,' can add to it.
When I design and wonder what the point is, I think of someone having a bad time in their life. Maybe they are sad and they wake up and put on something I have made and it makes them feel just a bit better. So, in that sense, fashion is a little help in the life of a person. But only a little.
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