I paint things as they are. I don't comment. I record.
Henri De Toulouse-LautrecRead
[People] want me to finish things. But I see them in such a way and paint them accordingly. ... Nothing is simpler than to complete pictures in a superficial sense. Never does one lie so cleverly as then.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of genuine expression in art over mere completion.
Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec reflects on the nature of artistic creation, suggesting that while many may push for the completion of artworks, true artistry lies in the deeper interpretation and expression of the subject. He warns against superficiality, indicating that completing a piece simply for the sake of finishing it can lead to dishonesty in art, as it may not capture the true essence of what the artist perceives.
In practice
In a lecture about artistic integrity, one might quote Toulouse-Lautrec to stress the importance of depth in art.
In the course of our daily lives, we're bombarded with a barrage of visual messages, some blatantly aggressive, some subtle. The trick is to find a way to break through without adding to the clutter and the ugliness. We have to be responsible about that.
Poetry is more a threshold than a path.
There are so many different narrative traditions across the world, and each of those traditions has evolved dramatically over time. Once I understood that, I felt truly free; I could write and invent the way I wanted to because there never has been only one way to tell a good story.
Always, when I do a play, there's got to be an equation of risks and potential failure. When you're working on a new play, it's like, 'How the hell do I do this, and do we have the time?' All of these huge questions engage, hopefully, the smartest part of me. And then when you're doing a revival, I went, 'Well, somebody's already solved it.'
You know how some people write every day at a certain point? I'm not like that. I carry something around for a long time. I weigh the words and the sentences. I weigh the paragraphs. The process is much more meditative for me.
The respect for a musical score must come from the director... If the director has no power and has to surrender to budgetary constraints, this is where we have the problem.
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