A work of art doesn't have to be explained. If you do not have any feeling about this, I cannot explain it to you. If this doesn't touch you, I have failed.
Space is something that you have to define. Otherwise, it is like anxiety, which is too vague. A fear is something specific. I like claustrophobic spaces, because at least then you know your limits.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Space must be defined to avoid ambiguity, much like how specific fears are clearer than vague anxieties.
In this quote, Louise Bourgeois emphasizes the importance of defining the concept of 'space' to provide clarity and understanding. Just as anxiety can feel overwhelming due to its vagueness, the idea of space becomes more manageable when we set boundaries or limits, akin to how specific fears can be more easily confronted. By referencing her preference for claustrophobic spaces, she suggests that knowing one's limits can offer a sense of control and safety amidst the complexities of emotion and environment.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on mental health, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of defining feelings to gain clarity.
More from Louise Bourgeois
All quotes →Clothing is . . . an exercise in memory. It makes me explore the past: how did I feel when I wore that. They are like signposts in the search for the past.
It is not so much where my motivation comes from but rather how it manages to survive.
I always had the fear of being separated and abandoned. The sewing is my attempt to keep things together and make things whole.
It is not a torment to be an artist. It is a privilege.
Art is a guarantee of sanity. That is the most important thing I have_x000D_ said.
Similar quotes
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Just beyond the ticket booth Father had painted on a wall in bright red letters the question: DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO? An arrow pointed to a small curtain. There were so many eager, curious hands that pulled at the curtain that we had to replace it regularly. Behind it was a mirror.
The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with most unnecessary attention but assume an authority which could safely be trusted to no council and senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of man who have folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it.
We are to forgive so that we may enjoy God's goodness without feeling the weight of anger burning deep within our hearts. Forgiveness does not mean we recant the fact that what happened to us was wrong. Instead, we roll our burdens onto the Lord and allow Him to carry them for us.