A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world.
Robert SmithsonRead
When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in an 18th century garden, it is absorbed by the ideal representation of the past, thus reinforcing political and social values that are no longer with us
Interpretation
What this quote means
The juxtaposition of modern art in historical contexts alters its perception and cultural significance.
This quote highlights the relationship between art and its environment, suggesting that when contemporary sculptures are situated in historical settings, they are influenced by the existing cultural and political ideals of the past. This interplay not only transforms the way the modern work is perceived but also calls attention to the values and aesthetics of the era it inhabits, ultimately reflecting changes in societal norms and beliefs over time.
Themes
ArtSculptureHistoryCultureValues
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibition, one might use this quote to discuss the impact of historical context on modern art.
More from Robert Smithson
All quotes →Instead of causing us to remember the past like the old monuments, the new monuments seem to cause us to forget the future
Robert SmithsonRead
The slurbs, urban sprawl, and the infinite number, of housing developments of the postwar boom have contributed to the architecture of entropy.
Robert SmithsonRead
A vacant white room with lights is still a submission to the neutral. Works of art seen in such spaces seem to be going through a kind of esthetic convalescence.
Robert SmithsonRead
Similar quotes
How well I would write if I were not here!
Italo CalvinoRead
A song has to take on character, shape, body and influence people to an extent that they use it for their own devices. It must affect them not just as a song, but as a lifestyle.
David BowieRead
A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art.
Benjamin DisraeliRead
One must act in painting as in life, directly.
Pablo PicassoRead
At Sarah Lawrence, I realized that everybody was already what they were going to be. The painters were painting, the writers writing, the dancers dancing. And nobody wore any makeup. The art was uppermost.
Alice WalkerRead
I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tighrope dancer so that no incompetent would dare step upon it.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead