I don't want you to praise me...Some praise me because I am a colored girl, and I don't want that kind of praise. I had rather you would point out my defects, for that will teach me something.
Edmonia LewisRead
I was practically driven to Rome in order to obtain the opportunities for art culture and to find a social atmosphere where I was not constantly reminded of my color. The land of liberty had no room for a colored sculptor.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the challenges faced by Edmonia Lewis as a Black artist seeking acceptance and opportunities in a society that discriminated based on race.
Edmonia Lewis's quote reflects her journey as a Black woman artist who felt compelled to leave her homeland in pursuit of artistic opportunities and a more accepting social environment. She highlights the stark reality of racial discrimination that hindered her ability to thrive as a sculptor, revealing the struggles that many artists of color faced during her time and the continuing quest for equality in the arts.
Themes
ArtRaceDiscriminationOpportunityLibertySculptor
In practice
Example use cases
In a gallery talk about racial diversity in art history, this quote can illustrate the challenges faced by artists of color.
More from Edmonia Lewis
All quotes →Similar quotes
A play is made by sensing how the forces in life simulate ignorance-you set free the concealed irony, the deadly joke.
Arthur MillerRead
I see no intrinsic reason why a doubly talented artist might not arise and create a comic-strip novel masterpiece.
John UpdikeRead
Poverty is the discoverer of all the arts.
ApuleiusRead
An empty canvas is a living wonder - far lovelier than certain pictures.
Wassily KandinskyRead
The deal is such that when I begin writing something, I open a door, and those characters come in, and then they won't leave, and so I live with them every day, all day. They are there with me when I'm driving my kids to school, when I'm standing in line at the grocery store.
Khaled HosseiniRead
The role of the artist is to not look away.
Akira KurosawaRead