Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting.
Barnett NewmanRead
I hope that my painting has the impact of giving someone, as it did me, the feeling of his own totality, of his own separateness, of his own individuality.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the hope that art can evoke a sense of individuality and personal completeness in viewers.
Barnett Newman emphasizes the transformative power of art, suggesting that a painting can instill in the viewer a profound awareness of their own unique identity and wholeness. This sentiment reflects the artist's desire for his work to resonate deeply, allowing individuals to connect with their sense of self and appreciate their separateness from others through the experience of art.
In practice
This quote can be used in an art exhibition to describe the artist's intent.
Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting.
What is the explanation of the seemingly insane drive of man to be painter and poet if it is not an act of defiance against mans fall and an assertion that he return to the Garden of Eden? For the artists are the first men.
Any art worthy of its name should address 'life', 'man', 'nature', 'death' and 'tragedy'.
We are trying to communicate that which lies in our deepest heart, which has no words, which can only be hinted at through the means of a story. And somehow, miraculously, a story that comes from deep in my heart calls from a reader that which is deepest in his or her heart, and together from our secret hidden selves we create a story that neither of us could have told alone.
In my opinion, trying to guess what readers want is the wrong approach. You have to tell your story as best you can and as true to yourself as possible. You have to be honest and fair and vulnerable and foolish and brave, and not care what anyone thinks of it.
Writing is a great comfort to people like me, who are unsure of themselves and have trouble expressing themselves properly.
A film is like a battleground. It's love, hate, action, violence, deathβIn one word, emotions.
Good directors don't answer questions with their work. They generate debate and create discussion.
The moment of creative impulse is what an artist gives you. You look at a Pollock, and it can't give you the tools to do a painting like that yourself, but in doing the work, Pollock shares with you the moment of creative impulse that drove him to do that work.
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