Imagine a world alive with incomprehensible objects, and shimmering with an endless variety of movement and innumerable gradations of colour. Imagine a world before the 'beginning was the word.'
Interpretation
The quote encourages envisioning a vibrant, dynamic world full of color and movement, prior to preconceived notions.
Stan Brakhage's quote invites us to imagine a reality that transcends linguistic constraints, where the beauty of the world is seen through its colors and movements rather than limited by words. It suggests a state of pure perception that is devoid of the semantic interpretation we usually impose on our experiences, encouraging a deeper appreciation of the visual and sensorial life surrounding us.
In practice
This quote can be shared during an art exhibition to inspire attendees to view the artwork with fresh eyes.
Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of βGreen?β How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye?
How many colours are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'green'? How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye?
Look, people are allowed their own opinions and they don't always coincide with yours. As an artist you just have to keep plugging on.
I believe that in the history of art and of thought there has always been at every living moment of culture a will to renewal. This is not the prerogative of the last decade only. All history is nothing but a succession of crises - of rupture, repudiation and resistance. When there is no crisis, there is stagnation, petrifaction and death. All thought, all art is aggressive.
The arts can open the door to the imagination, pushing the envelope of how peace can be created. It takes courage to take this kind of risk, and courage is what we all need to create a better world.
A good artist should be isolated. If he isn't isolated, something is wrong.
Music from my fourth year began to be the first of my youthful occupations. Thus early acquainted with the gracious muse who tuned my soul to pure harmonies, I became fond of her, and, as it often seemed to me, she of me.
For those colours which you wish to be beautiful, always first prepare a pure white ground.
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