I'd rather have two good friends, than 500,000 admirers.
E. E. CummingsRead
The symbol of all art is the Prism. The goal is unrealism. The method is destructive. To break up the white light of objective realism, into the secret glories which it contains.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art seeks to transform reality into something more profound and beautiful through abstraction.
In this quote, E. E. Cummings suggests that art is like a prism that breaks down the ordinary and realistic into a myriad of hidden meanings and expressions, encouraging artists to move beyond mere representation. The process of creating art involves a destruction of the conventional understanding of reality to uncover deeper truths and experiences that transcend everyday perception.
Themes
ArtPrismRealismBeautyExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about modern art's significance, one might say, 'As E. E. Cummings stated, the symbol of all art is the Prism, revealing the deeper beauty within our reality.'
More from E. E. Cummings
All quotes →I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.
E. E. CummingsRead
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
E. E. CummingsRead
When god decided to invent everything he took one reath bigger than a circustent and everything began
E. E. CummingsRead
The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.
E. E. CummingsRead
Nobody else can be alive for you; nor can you be alive for anybody else.
E. E. CummingsRead
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It's funny, but certain faces seem to go in and out of style. You look at old photographs and everybody has a certain look to them, almost as if they're related. Look at pictures from ten years later and you can see that there's a new kind of face starting to predominate, and that the old faces are fading away and vanishing, never to be seen again.
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I never knew I was a surrealist till Andre Breton came to Mexico and told me I was.
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The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without an audience, there is no theater. Everything done is ultimately for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, fellow players, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the performance meaningful.
Viola SpolinRead