--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All existing art was religious until…" description: "\"All existing art was religious until perhaps a hundred years ago. Within that there's obviously been lots of room for manipulation. I think that's beca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/chitra-ganesh-41613_art_all-existing-art-was-religious-until-per_2614999.jpg" --- # All existing art was religious until perhaps a hundred… ![“All existing art was religious until perhaps a hundred years ago. Within that there's obviously been lots of room for manipulation. I think that's because our current religion is capitalism. Capitalism has the functions of patronage, commissions, control of content, bestowing of space, elevation…” quote by Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/chitra-ganesh-41613_art_all-existing-art-was-religious-until-per_2614999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/chitra-ganesh-41613_art_all-existing-art-was-religious-until-per_2614999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/chitra-ganesh-41613_art_all-existing-art-was-religious-until-per_2614999.jpg) > “All existing art was religious until perhaps a hundred years ago. Within that there's obviously been lots of room for manipulation. I think that's because our current religion is capitalism. Capitalism has the functions of patronage, commissions, control of content, bestowing of space, elevation of certain artists over others based on how much they pander to people in power, the determination of value of the work, all of it. Capitalism commissions artwork now, the market.” [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capitalism shapes art by controlling patronage, value, and visibility, turning creativity into market commodity. **In simple terms:** Money influences what art gets made and seen. Key Takeaway Critically assess how market forces affect artistic expression. Themes art economics power culture capitalism Mood critical analytical Type sociopolitical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery c - art funding - artist collectives - public policy - educational curricula Key Concepts Patronage value determination artist hierarchy market influence Questions to Reflect On - In what ways can artists resist market pressures? - How can audiences support non‑commercial art? A Different Perspective May generalize all art experiences under capitalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [That's the one thing that trumps religion...capitalism. -Olive Penderghast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/easy-a/that-s-the-one-thing-that-trumps-religion-capitalism-olive-penderghast/) [Easy A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/easy-a/) > [The European Union is effectively a union dominated by the German political and economic elite. Its main function is to serve as a nucleus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-european-union-is-effectively-a-union-dominated-by-the-german/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [The highest art is always the most religious; and the greatest artist is always a devout man. A scoffing Raphael or Michael Angelo is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-blackie/the-highest-art-is-always-the-most-religious-and-the-greatest-artist-2/) [John Stuart Blackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-blackie/) > [The Dance of the Future will have to become again a high religious art as it was with the Greeks. For art which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dance-of-the-future-will-have-to-become-again-a-high-religious/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [ Art among a religious race produces reliques \[sic\]; among a military one, trophies; among a commercial one, articles of trade. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fuseli/art-among-a-religious-race-produces-reliques-sic-among-a-military-one/) [Henry Fuseli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fuseli/) > [The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-highest-art-is-always-the-most-religious-and-the-greatest-artist/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Street art is about as religious as I get - that's my faith, that even if people screen it out and didn't think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/street-art-is-about-as-religious-as-i-get-that-s-my-faith-that-even/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [We...believe that art is religious, because it is one of man's highest aspirations. There is no such thing as pagan art, only good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/we-believe-that-art-is-religious-because-it-is-one-of-man-s-highest/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Art among a religious race produces relics; among a military one, trophies; among a commercial one, articles of trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fuseli/art-among-a-religious-race-produces-relics-among-a-military-one/) [Henry Fuseli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fuseli/) > [The casting couch exists in every business where there is power dynamics and manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/the-casting-couch-exists-in-every-business-where-there-is-power/) [Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Manipulating or controlling others through the use of one's illness or suffering,for example,was-and remains-extremely effective for people who find they cannot be direct in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/manipulating-or-controlling-others-through-the-use-of-one-s-illness/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“The people who would like to manipulate and use you won't tell you your blind spots. They may plan to continue using them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/the-people-who-would-like-to-manipulate-and-use-you-won-t-tell-you/) [Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) ## More by Chitra Ganesh > [I'm trying to make sure that the visual connections between the disparate elements are strong enough for the viewer to keep moving through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-m-trying-to-make-sure-that-the-visual-connections-between-the/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [It's interesting to think about connecting the dots within an archive in a different way than linearly or teleologically. It's a great delight to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/it-s-interesting-to-think-about-connecting-the-dots-within-an-archive/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [The having of the ideas is quite otherworldly. And then the making of the art itself is quite scientific. It's a combination. L Doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/the-having-of-the-ideas-is-quite-otherworldly-and-then-the-making-of/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I'm more interested in moving toward writing stories - thinking about the graphic novel form, and just something more long-form. I did a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-m-more-interested-in-moving-toward-writing-stories-thinking-about/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I love working with younger people. I feel like we need to catch up with them. In South Asian art it's important to address…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-love-working-with-younger-people-i-feel-like-we-need-to-catch-up/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I think that in the diaspora, and among immigrants, religion becomes a vehicle for the transmission of cultural information, and cultural codes, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-think-that-in-the-diaspora-and-among-immigrants-religion-becomes-a/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I'm interested in representation that falls outside of what would be socially appropriate, or acceptable, or beautiful. The world is going through a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-m-interested-in-representation-that-falls-outside-of-what-would-be/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I feel a disparity between my life in India within the home and my life outside the home - my life within public and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-feel-a-disparity-between-my-life-in-india-within-the-home-and-my/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) > [I was working within a figurative representational framework, and there was a sense of reading the painting as a transparency, or truth, or autobiography,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-ganesh/i-was-working-within-a-figurative-representational-framework-and/) [Chitra Ganesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) [Explore all 10 Chitra Ganesh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-ganesh/) ## 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": "All existing art was religious until perhaps a hundred years ago. 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