---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art should disturb the comfortable and…"
description: "\"“Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.\" -Unknown”\" — Caddy Rowland"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg"
---

#  Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the…

![“Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.&quot; -Unknown” quote by Caddy Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg)

> ““Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed." -Unknown””

[Caddy Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caddy-rowland/)

## About This Quote

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

Art should provoke discomfort for the privileged and soothe those who suffer.

**In simple terms:** Art challenges comfort and eases distress.

Key Takeaway

Create work that unsettles and heals.

Themes

art social critique empathy comfort discomfort

Mood

thoughtful challenging

Type

statement philosophical

When to use this quote

- gallery openings
- public installations
- community workshops
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

aesthetic theory social responsibility psychology of art

Questions to Reflect On

- How can art balance provocation with solace?
- Who is the “comfortable” audience?

A Different Perspective

May alienate audiences seeking only pleasure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Disturb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-disturb-2883062/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Comfort Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort-disturbed-717065/) [Disturb Comfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturb-comfortable-1012097/) [Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbed/) [Disturbed Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbed-unknown-2883063/)

## Related quotes

> [ART SHOULD COMFORT THE DISTURBED &amp; DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-shah/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-disturb-the-comfortable/)

[SAMIR SHAH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-shah/)

> [Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the-comfortable/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [The duty of the church is to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ramsey/the-duty-of-the-church-is-to-comfort-the-disturbed-and-to-disturb-the/)

[Michael Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ramsey/)

> [Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [“Good fiction’s job is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/good-fiction-s-job-is-to-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction’s job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-had-a-teacher-i-liked-who-used-to-say-good-fiction-s-job-was-to/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [How could one comfort a disturbed person? He is already assailed with doubts about his faith. He would have to despair with such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-f-w-walther/how-could-one-comfort-a-disturbed-person-he-is-already-assailed-with/)

[C. F. W. Walther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-f-w-walther/)

> [The light will disturb us when we're comfortable, and comfort us when we're disturbed. We turn to spirit for help when our foundations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/the-light-will-disturb-us-when-we-re-comfortable-and-comfort-us-when/)

[Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/)

> [Art is made to disturb. Science reassures. There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/art-is-made-to-disturb-science-reassures-there-is-only-one-valuable/)

[Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/)

> [The message of great art is to disturb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/the-message-of-great-art-is-to-disturb/)

[Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/)

> [Art is made to disturb, science reassures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/art-is-made-to-disturb-science-reassures/)

[Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/)

> [The function of Art is to disturb. Science reassures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/the-function-of-art-is-to-disturb-science-reassures/)

[Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/)

> [“Art Should Comfort The Disturbed And Disturb The Comforted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-cruz/art-should-comfort-the-disturbed-and-disturb-the-comforted/)

[Cesar Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-cruz/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

[Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/)

> [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.\" -Unknown”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Caddy Rowland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caddy-rowland/art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-comfort-the-disturbed-unknown/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caddy-rowland/art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-comfort-the-disturbed-unknown/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/caddy-rowland-161410_art_art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-c_1911788.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.\" -Unknown” — Caddy Rowland",
                "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": "Caddy Rowland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caddy-rowland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Art should disturb the comfortable and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caddy-rowland/art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-comfort-the-disturbed-unknown/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caddy-rowland/art-should-disturb-the-comfortable-and-comfort-the-disturbed-unknown/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
