---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a mistake to talk about the artist…"
description: "\"It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his subject. In fact, the subject grows within him like a fruit and begins to demand expression. I..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg"
---

#  It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his…

![“It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his subject. In fact, the subject grows within him like a fruit and begins to demand expression. It is like childbirth. The poet has nothing to be proud of. He is not master of the situation, but a servant. Creative work is his only possible…” quote by Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg)

> “It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his subject. In fact, the subject grows within him like a fruit and begins to demand expression. It is like childbirth. The poet has nothing to be proud of. He is not master of the situation, but a servant. Creative work is his only possible form of existence, and his every work is like a deed he has no power to annul. For him to be aware that the sequence of such deeds is due and ripe, that it lies in the very nature of things, he has to have faith in the idea; for only faith interlocks the system of images for which read system of life.”

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The artist does not seek a subject; the subject emerges internally, compelling expression, making the creator a servant of the process.

**In simple terms:** Art arises from within, not by searching.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the inevitable emergence of ideas.

Themes

creation servitude faith process existence

Mood

contemplative reverent

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- painting
- music composition
- film directing
- sculpture

Key Concepts

subject emergence faith in ideas creative inevitability

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize when a subject is forming inside you?
- What role does faith play in your creative decisions?

A Different Perspective

The artist may still feel powerless over the final work despite deep involvement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Childbirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childbirth/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/)

## Related quotes

> [“A story isn't like a smoothly running engine, but is rather like a photograph. Photos can never be a perfect representation of what an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-mamatas/a-story-isn-t-like-a-smoothly-running-engine-but-is-rather-like-a/)

[Nick Mamatas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-mamatas/)

> [I’m an artist who is always looking for what is possible. I’m always looking to extend the boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-an-artist-who-is-always-looking-for-what-is-possible-i-m-always/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [I try to physically and mentally immerse myself in whatever it is I am doing. That is good for me as an artist. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-earl-brown/i-try-to-physically-and-mentally-immerse-myself-in-whatever-it-is-i/)

[W. Earl Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-earl-brown/)

> [I think 'Hamilton' has made me look at myself deeper as an artist and what I'm looking for as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-cephas-jones/i-think-hamilton-has-made-me-look-at-myself-deeper-as-an-artist-and/)

[Jasmine Cephas Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-cephas-jones/)

> [We live in an ironic society where even play is turned into work. But the highest existence is not work; the highest level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-hyers/we-live-in-an-ironic-society-where-even-play-is-turned-into-work-but/)

Conrad Hyers

> [One must give value to their existence by behaving as if ones very existence were a work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-must-give-value-to-their-existence-by-behaving-as-if-ones-very/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is certain that those who have the living faith in their hearts see at once that all existence is none other than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-certain-that-those-who-have-the-living-faith-in-their-hearts/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“In the independent existence that work gives the thing, working consciousness finds itself again as an independent consciousness. Work is restrained desire. In forming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-georg-gadamer/in-the-independent-existence-that-work-gives-the-thing-working/)

[Hans-Georg Gadamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-georg-gadamer/)

> [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

> [The revolting details of childbirth had been hidden from me with such care that I was as surprised as I was horrified, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/the-revolting-details-of-childbirth-had-been-hidden-from-me-with-such/)

[Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/)

> [Real change doesn't come without crisis. Childbirth doesn't come without crisis. I think that's happening with humanity now. Our growth has generated multiple crises...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/real-change-doesn-t-come-without-crisis-childbirth-doesn-t-come/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [I have always wanted to act ever since I was a little girl. I would put a blanket under my shirt and pretend that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-fanning/i-have-always-wanted-to-act-ever-since-i-was-a-little-girl-i-would/)

[Dakota Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-fanning/)

> [Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/maternal-health-remains-a-staggering-challenge-particularly-in-the/)

[Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/)

> [For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-the-apostle/for-the-creation-was-subjected-to-frustration-not-by-its-own-choice/)

[Paul the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-the-apostle/)

> [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

## More by Andrei Tarkovsky

> [Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful. Here the aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/art-is-realistic-when-it-strives-to-express-an-ethical-ideal-realism/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [I think in fact that unless there is an organic link between the subjective impressions of the author and his objective representation of reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/i-think-in-fact-that-unless-there-is-an-organic-link-between-the/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in the artistic consciousness, in the pointless and selfless creative act? Perhaps our capacity to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/perhaps-the-meaning-of-all-human-activity-lies-in-the-artistic/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [If we succeed with something, that is only because others are in need of what e have produced. And the more success we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/if-we-succeed-with-something-that-is-only-because-others-are-in-need/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [“I believe in one thing: the human spirit is immortal and indestructible. In the beyond there could be anything, it is of no importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/i-believe-in-one-thing-the-human-spirit-is-immortal-and/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [It is perfectly possible to be a professional director or a professional writer and not to be an artist: merely a sort of executor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-perfectly-possible-to-be-a-professional-director-or-a/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Some sort of pressure must exist; the artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/some-sort-of-pressure-must-exist-the-artist-exists-because-the-world/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [I know only one thing. when i sleep, i know no fear, no, trouble no bliss. blessing on him who invented sleep. the common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/i-know-only-one-thing-when-i-sleep-i-know-no-fear-no-trouble-no-bliss/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [“The image in cinema is based on the ability to present as an observation one's own perception of an object”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/the-image-in-cinema-is-based-on-the-ability-to-present-as-an/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Man is born unto the trouble as the sparks fly upwards.' In other words suffering is germane to our existence; indeed, how without it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/man-is-born-unto-the-trouble-as-the-sparks-fly-upwards-in-other-words/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Why do people go to the cinema? What takes them into a darkened room where, for two hours, they watch the play of shadows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/why-do-people-go-to-the-cinema-what-takes-them-into-a-darkened-room/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Objectivity can only be the author's and therefore subjective, even if he is editing a newsreel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/objectivity-can-only-be-the-author-s-and-therefore-subjective-even-if/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [“Perhaps cinema is the most personal art, the most intimate. In cinema only the author's intimate truth will be convincing enough for the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/perhaps-cinema-is-the-most-personal-art-the-most-intimate-in-cinema/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Weakness is a great thing, and strength is nothing. When a man is just born, he is weak and flexible. When he dies, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/weakness-is-a-great-thing-and-strength-is-nothing-when-a-man-is-just/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [Man has, since the Enlightenment, dealt with things he should have ignored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/man-has-since-the-enlightenment-dealt-with-things-he-should-have/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

[Explore all 120 Andrei Tarkovsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

## 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

> [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": "It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his subject. In fact, the subject grows within him like a fruit and begins to demand expression. It is like childbirth. The poet has nothing to be proud of. He is not master of the situation, but a servant. Creative work is his only possible form of existence, and his every work is like a deed he has no power to annul. For him to be aware that the sequence of such deeds is due and ripe, that it lies in the very nature of things, he has to have faith in the idea; for only faith interlocks the system of images for which read system of life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrei Tarkovsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist-looking-for-his-subject-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist-looking-for-his-subject-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/andrei-tarkovsky-3522_art_it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist_208535.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is a mistake to talk about the artist looking for his subject. In fact, the subject grows within him like…” — Andrei Tarkovsky",
                "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": "Andrei Tarkovsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is a mistake to talk...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist-looking-for-his-subject-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/it-is-a-mistake-to-talk-about-the-artist-looking-for-his-subject-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
