--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once heard some idiot on the radio…" description: "\"I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great art has suffering as its dominant theme, and that the greatest artists are only able to crea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png" --- # I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great… ![“I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great art has suffering as its dominant theme, and that the greatest artists are only able to create because they suffer immensely in their own lives. What a bunch of bullshit. Look at Van Gogh's paintings: there's as much joy in them as there…” quote by Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png) > “I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great art has suffering as its dominant theme, and that the greatest artists are only able to create because they suffer immensely in their own lives. What a bunch of bullshit. Look at Van Gogh's paintings: there's as much joy in them as there is pain. Suffering is only a single color, and by itself it's boring.” [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects the notion that great art requires personal suffering, noting that joy can also be present in art and that suffering alone is a limited palette. **In simple terms:** Art isn’t only about pain; joy matters too. Key Takeaway Seek balance in creative expression. Themes art criticism creativity emotional expression Mood analytical critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting analysis - artist interviews - creative workshops - personal art practice Key Concepts aesthetics philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Do you value joy or sorrow more in art? - Can suffering inspire without dominating? A Different Perspective Some artists truly channel pain into powerful work, so the claim isn’t absolute. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-suffering-2197445/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boring/) [Bullshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) [Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bunch/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Create Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-suffer-4339037/) [Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominant/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-suffering/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-dominant-4339038/) [Theme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theme/) [Vans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vans/) ## Related quotes > [Common one, my illuminated one, oh my high in the art of suffering. Take a walk with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/common-one-my-illuminated-one-oh-my-high-in-the-art-of-suffering-take/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [“It's an abominable fallacy that suffering makes for greater art. Suffering blinds, deafens, ruins, and often kills. Osip Mandelstam was a great poet before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/it-s-an-abominable-fallacy-that-suffering-makes-for-greater-art/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist for example Vincent Van Gogh, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-for-example-vincent/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [One association with the arts that I vividly remember was a magazine called Normal Instructor, a teachers' magazine, that Miss George would hold up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/one-association-with-the-arts-that-i-vividly-remember-was-a-magazine/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [They say that art comes from the soul. The more drama in an artist's life, the more he can draw on for his art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/they-say-that-art-comes-from-the-soul-the-more-drama-in-an-artist-s/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [“Now, perhaps nowhere as poignantly as in the omnipresent theme of Christ dying on the cross, the central image of art is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riane-eisler/now-perhaps-nowhere-as-poignantly-as-in-the-omnipresent-theme-of/) [Riane Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riane-eisler/) > [What interests us is not the person who is pitying himself or who is sitting, stewing in their pain and their suffering. What interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-rains/what-interests-us-is-not-the-person-who-is-pitying-himself-or-who-is/) [Dominic Rains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-rains/) > [You see misery, you see misfortune, you see pain, you see suffering. It's all part of the fatalistic way of looking at life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/you-see-misery-you-see-misfortune-you-see-pain-you-see-suffering-it-s/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Pain, suffering, death I feel. Something terrible has happened. Young Skywalker is in pain. Terrible pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pain-suffering-death-i-feel-something-terrible-has-happened-young/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We turn pain into suffering by adding on all kinds of beliefs, interpretations and judgments to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-shoshanna/we-turn-pain-into-suffering-by-adding-on-all-kinds-of-beliefs/) [Brenda Shoshanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-shoshanna/) > [I learned a lot about pain and suffering during 'Pan Am.' We had to wear very constricting period-correct girdles and bras. After that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-learned-a-lot-about-pain-and-suffering-during-pan-am-we-had-to-wear/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [Pain and suffering that are not transformed are usually projected onto others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/pain-and-suffering-that-are-not-transformed-are-usually-projected/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Everyone suffers; life is pain; and death is the final punctuation at the end of that sentence, so deal with it. I really think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/everyone-suffers-life-is-pain-and-death-is-the-final-punctuation-at/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [With all the chaos, pain and suffering in the world, the fact that my adoption of a child from who was living in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/with-all-the-chaos-pain-and-suffering-in-the-world-the-fact-that-my/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More by Bart Yates > [“The librarian is a caricature of librarian - short white hair, horn-rimmed glasses, a bosom you could hide Christmas presents under and a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/the-librarian-is-a-caricature-of-librarian-short-white-hair-horn/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“I should probably apologize for how much I swear, but fuck it. I've read that some people think swearing shows a lack of imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/i-should-probably-apologize-for-how-much-i-swear-but-fuck-it-i-ve/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“Every time a book opens, an angel coughs up a hairball.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/every-time-a-book-opens-an-angel-coughs-up-a-hairball/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“With Tommy, gift-giving is an art form. Whatever he bestows on you is more likely than not going to be something absurd and cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/with-tommy-gift-giving-is-an-art-form-whatever-he-bestows-on-you-is/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“Want to know the biggest lie ever written? ’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. What an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/want-to-know-the-biggest-lie-ever-written-tis-better-to-have-loved/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [Love attacks. It sneaks up like a pride of lions or a pack of hyenas and eats your heart out while you watch. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/love-attacks-it-sneaks-up-like-a-pride-of-lions-or-a-pack-of-hyenas/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [It seems to be that loneliness is a small price to pay for peace and quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/it-seems-to-be-that-loneliness-is-a-small-price-to-pay-for-peace-and/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“It's not about love. Of course I love the little shit. But he knows too much about me that no one else on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/it-s-not-about-love-of-course-i-love-the-little-shit-but-he-knows-too/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“Sprawled out on the front lawn/ looking up at an ordinary sky/ it could fall on me and some how be/ the day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/sprawled-out-on-the-front-lawn-looking-up-at-an-ordinary-sky-it-could-2/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“Want to know the biggest lie ever written? 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/want-to-know-the-biggest-lie-ever-written-tis-better-to-have-loved-2/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) > [“Where does a child of mine get all that hair, I wonder? Arthur’s not exceptionally hirsute, and the men on my side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/where-does-a-child-of-mine-get-all-that-hair-i-wonder-arthur-s-not/) [Bart Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) [Explore all 12 Bart Yates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great art has suffering as its dominant theme, and that the greatest artists are only able to create because they suffer immensely in their own lives. What a bunch of bullshit. Look at Van Gogh's paintings: there's as much joy in them as there is pain. Suffering is only a single color, and by itself it's boring.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bart Yates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-saying-that-all-great-art-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-saying-that-all-great-art-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa5/bart-yates-36823_able_i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-say_2122958.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I once heard some idiot on the radio saying that all great art has suffering as its dominant theme, and that…” — Bart Yates", "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": "Bart Yates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-yates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I once heard some idiot on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-saying-that-all-great-art-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-yates/i-once-heard-some-idiot-on-the-radio-saying-that-all-great-art-has/#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 } } ] } ```