--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art must always remain earnest... Art…" description: "\"Art must always remain earnest... Art must be serious, no sarcasm, comedy. One does not laugh at a loved one.\" — Arshile Gorky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/arshile-gorky-28618_art_art-must-always-remain-earnest-art-must_665561.jpg" --- # Art must always remain earnest... Art must be serious, no… ![“Art must always remain earnest... Art must be serious, no sarcasm, comedy. One does not laugh at a loved one.” quote by Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/arshile-gorky-28618_art_art-must-always-remain-earnest-art-must_665561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/arshile-gorky-28618_art_art-must-always-remain-earnest-art-must_665561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e3/arshile-gorky-28618_art_art-must-always-remain-earnest-art-must_665561.jpg) > “Art must always remain earnest... Art must be serious, no sarcasm, comedy. One does not laugh at a loved one.” [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gorky insists that art should be sincere and serious, rejecting humor that trivializes personal relationships. **In simple terms:** Art must be earnest, not mocking. Key Takeaway Create work with genuine seriousness. Themes art seriousness authenticity Mood reflective serious Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - sculpture - performance art - personal expression Key Concepts aesthetic theory emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - When is humor appropriate in art? - Can seriousness coexist with playfulness? A Different Perspective Some argue humor can be a valid artistic tool. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [Sarcasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcasm/) ## Related quotes > [Life is earnest, art is gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/life-is-earnest-art-is-gay/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [You have no right to say that I am not sincere. I have found a happiness in art that real life has never given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-have-no-right-to-say-that-i-am-not-sincere-i-have-found-a/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Art will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind born out of struggle between wisdom and madness, between dream and reality in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-will-remain-the-most-astonishing-activity-of-mankind-born-out-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Psychology is in its infancy, as a science. 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Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More by Arshile Gorky > [Dreams form the bristles of the artist's brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/dreams-form-the-bristles-of-the-artist-s-brush/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [If Picasso drips, I drip... For a long while I was with Cezanne, and now I am with Picasso.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/if-picasso-drips-i-drip-for-a-long-while-i-was-with-cezanne-and-now-i/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes... Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/abstraction-allows-man-to-see-with-his-mind-what-he-cannot-physically/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [The stuff of thought is the seed of the artist. Dreams form the bristles of the artist's brush. As the eye functions as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/the-stuff-of-thought-is-the-seed-of-the-artist-dreams-form-the/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [My recollections of Armenia open new visions for me. My art is therefore a growth art where forms, pines, shapes, memories of Armenia germinate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/my-recollections-of-armenia-open-new-visions-for-me-my-art-is/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [I seek a form of language which will express my ideas for our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/i-seek-a-form-of-language-which-will-express-my-ideas-for-our-time/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [I like painting because it's something I never come to the end of. Sometimes I paint a picture, then I paint it all out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/i-like-painting-because-it-s-something-i-never-come-to-the-end-of/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [You know how fussy and particular I am in painting. I am ever removing the paint and repainting the spot until I am completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/you-know-how-fussy-and-particular-i-am-in-painting-i-am-ever-removing/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [When something is finished, that means it's dead, doesn't it? I believe in everlastingness. I never finish a painting - I just stop working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/when-something-is-finished-that-means-it-s-dead-doesn-t-it-i-believe/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [If a painting of mine suits me, it is right. If it does not please me, I care not if all the great masters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/if-a-painting-of-mine-suits-me-it-is-right-if-it-does-not-please-me-i/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [Movement is the translation of life, and if art depicts life, movement should come into art, since we are only aware of living because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/movement-is-the-translation-of-life-and-if-art-depicts-life-movement/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [Drawing is the basis of art. A bad painter cannot draw. But one who draws well can always paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/drawing-is-the-basis-of-art-a-bad-painter-cannot-draw-but-one-who/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [We are part of the world creation, and we ourselves create nothing. Our knowledge allows us to make use of all the forces already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/we-are-part-of-the-world-creation-and-we-ourselves-create-nothing-our/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [I do not paint in front of but from within nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/i-do-not-paint-in-front-of-but-from-within-nature/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [“Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/abstraction-allows-man-to-see-with-his-mind-what-he-cannot-see/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) [Explore all 19 Arshile Gorky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) ## 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": "Art must always remain earnest... 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