A work can have in it a pent-up energy, an intense life of its own, independent of the subject it may represent.
Interpretation
Art can possess its own vitality and energy, irrespective of its subject matter.
Henry Moore suggests that a piece of art can embody a dynamic and vibrant essence that transcends its initial subject. This implies that the emotional and imaginative impact of a work of art is profound, allowing it to resonate with viewers in ways that go beyond mere representation.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the transformative power of art in a gallery opening.
Recently I have been working in the country, where, carving in the open air, I find sculpture more natural than in a London studio, but it needs bigger dimensions. A large piece of stone or wood placed almost anywhere at random in a field, orchard, or garden, immediately looks right and inspiring.
I find in all the artists that I admire most a disturbing element, a distortion, giving evidence of a struggle . . . . In great art, this conflict is hidden, it is unresolved. All that is bursting with energy is disturbing - not perfect.
Between beauty of expression and power of expression there is a difference of function. The first aims at pleasing the senses, the second has a spiritual vitality which for me is more moving and goes deeper than the senses.
I have always liked drawing, when you draw you see things more intensely.
The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do.
All art is an abstraction to some degree.
With stammering lips and insufficient sound I strive and struggle to deliver right the music of my nature.
I’ve never sung anywhere without giving the people listening to me a chance to join in - as a kid, as a lefty, as a man touring the U.S.A. and the world, as an oldster. I guess it’s kind of a religion with me. Participation. That’s what’s going to save the human race.
I joyfully hasten to meet death. If it come before I have had opportunity to develop all my artistic faculties, it will come, my hard fate notwithstanding, too soon, and I should probably wish it later - yet even then I shall be happy, for will it not deliver me from a state of endless suffering?
Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
There are beautiful sounds in rock. Very lazy, dreamlike noises. You can forget about the lyrics in most songs. Just dig the noise, and you've got your sound...We're musical primitives.
The word 'celebrity' and the word 'architect' are basically incompatible.
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