Like it!” I exclaimed. “It is lovely — wonderful! It is…
““Like it!” I exclaimed. “It is lovely — wonderful! It is worthy to rank with the finest Italian masterpieces.” “Oh, no!” remonstrated Zara; “no, indeed! When the great Italian sculptors lived and worked — ah! one may say with the Scriptures, ‘There were giants in those days.’ Giants — veritable ones; and we modernists are the pigmies. We can only see Art now through the eyes of others who came before us. We cannot create anything new. We look at painting through Raphael; sculpture through Angelo; poetry through Shakespeare; philosophy through Plato. It is all done for us; we are copyists. The world is getting old — how glorious to have lived when it was young! But nowadays the very children are blase.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker laments modern art’s lack of originality, idolizing past masters and viewing contemporary creators as inferior imitators.
In simple terms: Modern artists seen as imitators, past masters revered.
Key Takeaway
Study history, but innovate beyond imitation.
Themes
nostalgia
criticism
creativity
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analysis
philosophical
When to use this quote
- art education
- creative practice
- cultural analysis
Key Concepts
art history
originality
cultural decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What defines true originality?
- Can we learn without copying?
A Different Perspective
May dismiss genuine innovation as mere imitation.