Art Quote by Chris Ware
![“[Comics is] one of the last havens for honesty when it comes to a reader's genuine response to art. Most of us, if we don't find any sympathy or pleasure, for example, in a modern painting, are likely to blame our own ignorance of the history and theory of painting. But nobody pretends to like a…” quote by Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a24/chris-ware-8123_art_comics-is-one-of-the-last-havens-for-hon_1013449.jpg)
“[Comics is] one of the last havens for honesty when it comes to a reader's genuine response to art. Most of us, if we don't find any sympathy or pleasure, for example, in a modern painting, are likely to blame our own ignorance of the history and theory of painting. But nobody pretends to like a bad comic strip. Such harshness is necessary for any real truth to surface, I think, and for art to really contribute anything to life. Though I don't know. I could be wrong.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Comics Journal, 2015
Comics remain a rare space where honest, harsh criticism is accepted, allowing truth to emerge, unlike other art forms where ignorance is blamed.
In simple terms: Comics allow honest critique.
Key Takeaway
Value candid feedback.
Themes
honesty
critique
artistic truth
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
literary
critical
When to use this quote
- reading comics
- art criticism
- creative evaluation
Key Concepts
media studies
cultural criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we defend disliked art?
- How does honesty improve art?
A Different Perspective
Not all readers engage with comics critically; some may still be defensive.
![“There's a rhythm to the words combined with the pictures [in a comic]. Whenever I'm working on a comic strip I re-read it, probably hundreds of times through to pay attention to how all of those things work. Sometimes even changing the angle of a character's eyebrow can really, seriously alter the…” quote by Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dec/chris-ware-8123_angle_there-s-a-rhythm-to-the-words-combined-w_506554.jpg)
![“Well you know, the comic strip [Doctor Strange]... yeah, was an Asian man, in fact, a very ancient Tibetan man living on the top of a mountain. The film script that I was given wasn't an Asian man, so I wasn't asked to play an Asian man - I was asked to play an ancient Celtic person.” quote by Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ac/tilda-swinton-4434_ancient_well-you-know-the-comic-strip-doctor-str_814104.jpg)
