An abstract painting need in 50 years by no means look "abstract" any longer.
Marcel DuchampRead
I would have to think about it for two or three months before I decided to do something which would have meaning. And it would have to be more than just an impression or pleasure. I would need an objective, a meaning. That is the only thing that could help me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Duchamp emphasizes the importance of deep thought and purpose in creating meaningful work.
In this quote, Marcel Duchamp reflects on the need for careful contemplation when approaching creative endeavors. He suggests that true artistic expression requires more than superficial enjoyment; it demands a clear objective or meaning that can provide guidance and significance to the work produced. This perspective highlights the intellectual rigor that can underlie artistic creation, advocating for a deliberate approach rather than hasty decisions.
Themes
ArtMeaningCreationPurposeThought
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the creative process, you could use this quote to illustrate the importance of thoughtful consideration.
More from Marcel Duchamp
All quotes →All this twaddle, the existence of God, atheism, determinism, liberation, societies, death, etc., are pieces of a chess game called language, and they are amusing only if one does not preoccupy oneself with 'winning or losing this game of chess.
Marcel DuchampRead
I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position.
Marcel DuchampRead
I never finished the 'Large Glass' because, after working on it for eight years, I probably got interested in something else; also, I was tired. It may be that, subconsciously, I never intended to finish it because the word 'finish' implies an acceptance of traditional methods and all the paraphernalia that accompany them.
Marcel DuchampRead
It's a product of two poles - there's the pole of the one who makes the work, and the pole of the one who looks at it. I give the latter as much importance as the one who makes it.
Marcel DuchampRead
I became a librarian at the Sainte-Genevieve Library in Paris. I made this gesture to rid myself of a certain milieu, a certain attitude, to have a clean conscience, but also to make a living. I was twenty-five. I had been told that one must make a living, and I believed it.
Marcel DuchampRead
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