--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Twentieth-century art may start with…" description: "\"Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg" --- # Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it… ![“Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable, in the coherence of the inchoate, and in its ability to create its own values.” quote by Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg) > “Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable, in the coherence of the inchoate, and in its ability to create its own values.” [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art emerges from emptiness, thrives on self‑belief, seeks control over chaos, and creates its own values. **In simple terms:** Art starts from nothing, grows through belief and self‑created meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty, create meaning. Themes creativity belief self‑definition Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - artist studios - creative blocks - cultural movements - personal projects Key Concepts philosophy aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to create your own values? - How can you find control in seemingly chaotic situations? A Different Perspective Self‑belief may be challenged by external criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Coherence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coherence/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Twentieth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twentieth-century/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“Atheism was supposed, and is even now supposed, to be the negation of all moral principle, of all moral foundations and bonds: if God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/atheism-was-supposed-and-is-even-now-supposed-to-be-the-negation-of/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [Christian art today should be twentieth-century art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/christian-art-today-should-be-twentieth-century-art/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Opera is an 18th- and 19th-century art that must find a 20th-century audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goeran-gentele/opera-is-an-18th-and-19th-century-art-that-must-find-a-20th-century/) Goeran Gentele > [Science is our century's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-freeland-judson/science-is-our-century-s-art/) Horace Freeland Judson > [The art that we should be doing today, in the twenty-first century, is art that is not for the museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tania-bruguera/the-art-that-we-should-be-doing-today-in-the-twenty-first-century-is/) [Tania Bruguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tania-bruguera/) > [It is not possible to overstate the influence of Paul Cezanne on twentieth-century art. He's the modern Giotto, someone who shattered one kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/it-is-not-possible-to-overstate-the-influence-of-paul-cezanne-on/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [I think 21st century should be art without objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-think-21st-century-should-be-art-without-objects/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [No one can threaten poetry. It's always been there, always will be. Humans need it to live: it has sustaining powers. How could we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-orr/no-one-can-threaten-poetry-it-s-always-been-there-always-will-be/) [Gregory Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-orr/) > [In our view any awareness is an increment to consciousness, an added light, a reinforcement of psychic coherence. Its swiftness or instantaneity can hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-our-view-any-awareness-is-an-increment-to-consciousness-an-added/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“To live, it seems, is to explain, to justify, and to find coherence among diverse outcomes, characteristics, and causes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/to-live-it-seems-is-to-explain-to-justify-and-to-find-coherence-among/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [We have power... 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To fill people's mailboxes, eyes, ears and brains with commercial rubbish against their will, television programs that are impossible to watch with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-to-fill-people-s-mailboxes-eyes-ears-and-brains-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a strong spiritual commitment, and I try to express that in my work. Salvation cannot be worked out in human terms. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grossman/i-have-a-strong-spiritual-commitment-and-i-try-to-express-that-in-my/) [Richard Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grossman/) ## More by Al Alvarez > [I absolutely don't believe in anything. Full stop. Including luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-absolutely-don-t-believe-in-anything-full-stop-including-luck/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [“I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind In balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-balanced-all-brought-all-to-mind-the-years-to-come-seemed-waste-of/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [Despair, in short, seeks its own environment as surely as water finds its own level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/despair-in-short-seeks-its-own-environment-as-surely-as-water-finds/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [“Suicide is, after all, the result of a choice. However impulsive the action and confused the motives, at the moment when a man finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/suicide-is-after-all-the-result-of-a-choice-however-impulsive-the/) [Al Álvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [When you make a bet, you're saying something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/when-you-make-a-bet-you-re-saying-something/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [Each sporadic burst of work, each minor success and disappointment, each moment of calm and relaxation, seemed merely a temporary halt on my steady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/each-sporadic-burst-of-work-each-minor-success-and-disappointment/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [I mean being a writer is like being a psychoanalyst, but you don't get any patients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-mean-being-a-writer-is-like-being-a-psychoanalyst-but-you-don-t-get/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [But in a tournament, you can be said in for all your money at any point so you can't make any mistakes so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/but-in-a-tournament-you-can-be-said-in-for-all-your-money-at-any/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [I hate writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-hate-writing/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [I mean to say, this is the book and I really loathe it and I can't imagine what a nice Jewish boy like me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-mean-to-say-this-is-the-book-and-i-really-loathe-it-and-i-can-t/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [The fact that we write about it doesn't mean we play better than ordinary players at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/the-fact-that-we-write-about-it-doesn-t-mean-we-play-better-than/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [Now, if, as I think, writing should be, it's a kind of risky trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/now-if-as-i-think-writing-should-be-it-s-a-kind-of-risky-trade/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [I think one of the interesting things about poker is that once you let your ego in, you're done for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/i-think-one-of-the-interesting-things-about-poker-is-that-once-you/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [Yes, I think poker really isn't gambling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/yes-i-think-poker-really-isn-t-gambling/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) > [Hold'em is a game of calculated aggression. If your cards are good enough for you to call a bet, they are good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/hold-em-is-a-game-of-calculated-aggression-if-your-cards-are-good/) [Al Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) [Explore all 29 Al Alvarez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable, in the coherence of the inchoate, and in its ability to create its own values.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Alvarez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-nothing-but-it-flourishes-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-nothing-but-it-flourishes-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/al-alvarez-21402_ability_twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-not_931525.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the…” — Al Alvarez", "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": "Al Alvarez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-alvarez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Twentieth-century art may start with nothing,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-nothing-but-it-flourishes-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-alvarez/twentieth-century-art-may-start-with-nothing-but-it-flourishes-by/#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 } } ] } ```