How do you paint yellow wheat against a yellow sky? You paint it jet black.
Ben ShahnRead
It is the mission of art to remind man from time to time that he is human, and the time is ripe, just now, today, for such a reminder.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art serves as a reminder of our humanity, especially in the present moment.
In this quote, Ben Shahn emphasizes the essential role of art in reconnecting individuals with their humanity. He suggests that art has the power to evoke introspection and self-awareness, highlighting current events or feelings that prompt us to remember our shared human experience. The assertion that 'the time is ripe' indicates that there are moments when this reminder is particularly crucial and timely, urging society to engage with art to reflect on their values, feelings, and collective identity.
Themes
ArtHumanityReminderTimeIntrospection
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibition, a curator could quote Ben Shahn to emphasize the relevance of the displayed works.
More from Ben Shahn
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There are neither good nor bad subjects. From the point of view of pure Art, you could almost establish it as an axiom that the subject is irrelevant, style itself being an absolute manner of seeing things.
Gustave FlaubertRead
To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.
Aaron CoplandRead
The ultimate point of a piece for me is that it drives the next one. Does it open new doors? That's the success of a piece.
Twyla TharpRead
The art has to make it on its own, without explanations, and itβs the same for poetry. If the poem or the painting has to be explained, then itβs a failure in communication.
Lawrence FerlinghettiRead
Elegance is not an outer quality, but a part of the soul that is visible to others.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Drama, instead of telling us the whole of a man's life, must place him in such a situation, tie such a knot, that when it is untied, the whole man is visible.
Leo TolstoyRead