I remember saying to myself those things are very, very important to hear, but there must be another way to say them so that they will truly be heard. I mean, that's what art is. Art is about being provocative. Art is also about beauty. And if you leave the latter out, the former doesn't matter.
Interpretation
Art serves to provoke thought and convey beauty, making messages more impactful.
In this quote, Nikky Finney reflects on the dual nature of art as a medium that not only provokes thought but also embodies beauty. She suggests that for messages to resonate and be truly understood, they must be communicated in a compelling way, emphasizing that without beauty, the provocative aspect of art loses its significance.
In practice
In an art class, when discussing the importance of conveying emotions through visual media.
I lived for 15 years in Los Angeles, and I still can't believe that the handsomest man in the world, Cary Grant, and the greatest performer in the world, Fred Astaire, and Johnny Carson, one after another - they were all in my home at different times. I celebrated my 50th birthday with them. Unforgettable.
But poets were not considered dangerous and they were advised to exercise self-censorship. At most, poets were requested not to write at all. I took advantage of this negative liberty.
If there were only one truth, you couldn't paint a hundred canvases on the same theme.
In the future, everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.
A life is not sufficiently elevated for poetry, unless, of course, the life has been made into an art.
I want to photograph the considerable ceremonies of our present. I want to gather them, like somebody's grandmother putting up preserves, because they will have been so beautiful.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.