Art Quotes

Beauty, expression, and the human need to create. Artists and thinkers on why art matters.

21093 quotes

J
"Art is not about understanding; it is about experiencing."
John Cage
J
"If you develop an ear for sounds that others are not listening to, you will hear an entire universe."
John Cage
J
"The world is full of sounds—most of them we have learned to ignore."
John Cage
J
"Art should awaken us from our ordinary perception."
John Cage
J
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
James Blake
J
"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
James Blake
P
"The composer's role is to create opportunities for listening, not to control the listener's experience."
Pauline Oliveros
P
"The future of music lies in expanding what we consider music to be."
Pauline Oliveros
P
"Art should serve life, not the other way around."
Pauline Oliveros
P
"The artist's journey is one of learning to hear more deeply, see more clearly, and feel more fully."
Pauline Oliveros
L
"I think what's happening is that in art, people want to express themselves in a way that feels authentic and true."
Laurie Anderson
L
"The act of making art is an act of resistance."
Laurie Anderson
L
"I'm interested in the spaces between things—between words, between sounds."
Laurie Anderson
L
"Art is not about making something beautiful; it's about making something true."
Laurie Anderson
L
"Authenticity is the rarest and most valuable currency."
Laurie Anderson
L
"I'm interested in how we construct meaning in an increasingly meaningless world."
Laurie Anderson
L
"The work of art is never finished; it's just abandoned at some point."
Laurie Anderson
L
"I think the purpose of art is to make the invisible visible."
Laurie Anderson
J
"Every sound is a conversation with the universe"
Jon Hopkins
J
"In electronic music, we're building cathedrals of sensation"
Jon Hopkins
J
"The best art happens when you stop trying"
Jon Hopkins
J
"Art is the bridge between what we feel and what we understand"
Jon Hopkins
J
"Art demands honesty in a way few other things do"
Jon Hopkins
A
"The body is a text written in a language we are only beginning to understand."
Arca
A
"Art is the language of those who have no other way to speak."
Arca
A
"Your pain is not your fault, but your art can be."
Arca
A
"Art is not decoration; it is a way of being."
Arca
A
"Art is the only place where truth and lies can coexist peacefully."
Arca
A
"We are all translating pain into beauty, or we should be."
Arca
A
"The artist's job is to make the invisible visible."
Arca