--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By and large, the making of serious…" description: "\"By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and occasionally valuable art has become a lonely persuasion, while the marketing of art has become a b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg" --- # By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and… ![“By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and occasionally valuable art has become a lonely persuasion, while the marketing of art has become a boutique operation, manipulated by fashion, self-serving art scholars and the vagaries of the auction block.” quote by Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg) > “By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and occasionally valuable art has become a lonely persuasion, while the marketing of art has become a boutique operation, manipulated by fashion, self-serving art scholars and the vagaries of the auction block.” [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Serious art creation is increasingly isolated, while art marketing is driven by trends, self‑interested scholars, and auction dynamics, reducing authenticity. **In simple terms:** Creating art is lonely; selling art is trend‑driven. Key Takeaway Seek authentic expression over market approval. Themes art loneliness commercialization authenticity scholarship Mood reflective analytical concerned Type essay commentary observation When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - artist residencies - art fairs - online sales - collector negotiations Key Concepts cultural economics art criticism market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize artistic integrity or market success? - How can artists balance authenticity with livelihood? A Different Perspective The view may overlook artists who thrive in collaborative or commercial spaces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-lonely-1240976/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Auctions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auctions/) [Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/block/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Lonely Persuasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-persuasion-2500877/) [Manipulated Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulated-fashion-2500878/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Marketing Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing-art-1244399/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Persuasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasion/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-serving/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serving/) [Thoughtful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtful/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [Valuable Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable-art-2500879/) ## Related quotes > [You have brilliance in you, your contribution is valuable, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do, and you must.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-have-brilliance-in-you-your-contribution-is-valuable-and-the-art/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Well, life isn't a cakewalk, is it?! Eighty-nine percent of the world's most valuable art was created by men living in rat-infested flats. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/well-life-isn-t-a-cakewalk-is-it-eighty-nine-percent-of-the-world-s/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [“Creating art is a lonely task, which is why we introverts revel in it,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/creating-art-is-a-lonely-task-which-is-why-we-introverts-revel-in-it/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [When I was a younger man, art was a lonely thing. No galleries, no collectors, no critics, no money. Yet, it was a golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/when-i-was-a-younger-man-art-was-a-lonely-thing-no-galleries-no/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [I suspect you've noticed that making art can be lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-holzer/i-suspect-you-ve-noticed-that-making-art-can-be-lonely/) [Jenny Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-holzer/) > [When I was your age, art was a lonely thing: no galleries, no collecting, no critics, no money. We didn't have mentors. We didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/when-i-was-your-age-art-was-a-lonely-thing-no-galleries-no-collecting/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [“Creating art is a lonely task, which is why we introverts revel in it, but when we have fans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/creating-art-is-a-lonely-task-which-is-why-we-introverts-revel-in-it-3/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Creating art is a lonely task, which is why we introverts revel in it, but when we have fans looming over us, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/creating-art-is-a-lonely-task-which-is-why-we-introverts-revel-in-it-2/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“What is marketing? It’s the art of finding buyers for products and services at a profit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burns/what-is-marketing-it-s-the-art-of-finding-buyers-for-products-and/) [Rob Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burns/) > [I think that the art of marketing, the art of promotion and the art of storytelling is definitely elevated and we have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinker-hatfield/i-think-that-the-art-of-marketing-the-art-of-promotion-and-the-art-of/) [Tinker Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinker-hatfield/) > [Marketing of art is, and to my mind has always been, trendy. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean there is any real long-term value. As an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver/marketing-of-art-is-and-to-my-mind-has-always-been-trendy/) [Oliver $](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver/) > [Authentic marketing is not the art of selling what you make but knowing what to make. It is the art of identifying and understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/authentic-marketing-is-not-the-art-of-selling-what-you-make-but/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/marketing-is-not-the-art-of-finding-clever-ways-to-dispose-of-what/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [“Marketing is the art of allocating resources—sending more power to the wheels that are getting traction, sending it away from the ones that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/marketing-is-the-art-of-allocating-resources-sending-more-power-to/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service. Not slapping on marketing as a last-minute add-on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/remarkable-marketing-is-the-art-of-building-things-worth-noticing/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) ## More by Abe Ajay > [Every time some new huckster of angst-ridden metaphor is appointed by Art Forum, the congregation genuflects, stroking the catalog like a handful of Rosary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/every-time-some-new-huckster-of-angst-ridden-metaphor-is-appointed-by/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [The search which takes place in my studio might best be described as a mining operation, a vertical dig in which a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/the-search-which-takes-place-in-my-studio-might-best-be-described-as/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [Somewhere in my head, a private conviction exists that 'Search is the Process' and 'Discovery the Art Form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/somewhere-in-my-head-a-private-conviction-exists-that-search-is-the/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [Collage-making, for me, is basically an act of painting, allowing me to indulge in an appetite for immediacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/collage-making-for-me-is-basically-an-act-of-painting-allowing-me-to/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [I advise students on the subject of color as follows: If it looks good enough to eat, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/i-advise-students-on-the-subject-of-color-as-follows-if-it-looks-good/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [It is essential for me to become involved in another search, and 'search' is the proper word to use because it promises discovery along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/it-is-essential-for-me-to-become-involved-in-another-search-and/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) > [The art world is now a fashion industry, led by its Whitney Biennial 'nose for the new look.' But nobody, it seems, has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/the-art-world-is-now-a-fashion-industry-led-by-its-whitney-biennial/) [Abe Ajay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) [Explore all 8 Abe Ajay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and occasionally valuable art has become a lonely persuasion, while the marketing of art has become a boutique operation, manipulated by fashion, self-serving art scholars and the vagaries of the auction block.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abe Ajay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoughtful-and-occasionally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoughtful-and-occasionally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/abe-ajay-47397_art_by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoug_1049577.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By and large, the making of serious, thoughtful and occasionally valuable art has become a lonely…” — Abe Ajay", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abe Ajay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-ajay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "By and large, the making of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoughtful-and-occasionally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-ajay/by-and-large-the-making-of-serious-thoughtful-and-occasionally/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```