Beautiful Quote by August Wilhelm von Schlegel
“Formerly it was the fashion to preach the natural; now it is the ideal. People too often forget that these things are profoundly compatible; that in a beautiful work of imagination the natural should be ideal, and the ideal natural.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: On the Ideal and the Natural, 1795
The natural and ideal are compatible; imagination should blend them.
In simple terms: Nature and ideal can merge.
Key Takeaway
Integrate realism with aspiration.
Themes
art
imagination
philosophy
Mood
inspired
reflective
Type
aesthetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- painting
- design
- creative writing
- architecture
Key Concepts
Aesthetics
Romanticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance realism with idealism?
- What role does imagination play in solving real problems?
A Different Perspective
Idealizing nature can ignore practical constraints.
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