Art Quote by David Foster Wallace
““You want your art to be hip and seem cool to people, but a great deal of what passes for hip or cool is now highly commercially driven. And some if it is important art. I think 'The Simpsons' is important art. On the other hand, it's also, in my opinion, relentlessly corrosive to the soul and everything is parodied and everything is ridiculous. Maybe I'm old but for my part I can be steeped in about an hour of it and then I have to walk away and look at a flower. If there's something to be talked about, that thing is this weird conflict between what my girlfriend calls the 'inner sap,' the part of us that can really wholeheartedly weep at stuff and the part of us that has to live in a world of smart, jaded, sophisticated people and wants very much to be taken seriously by those people.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Paris Review, 2000
The quote highlights tension between authentic emotional expression and the cynical, commercialized culture that can numb our sensitivity.
In simple terms: Balancing genuine feeling with a jaded world is hard.
Key Takeaway
Seek moments of true feeling amid superficiality.
Themes
art
culture
authenticity
commercialism
emotional conflict
Mood
reflective
critical
contemplative
Type
personal essay
cultural criticism
philosophical
When to use this quote
- watching TV
- reading
- contemplating nature
- discussing art with friends
- journaling about feelings
Key Concepts
postmodernism
media critique
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you protect your inner sensitivity?
- What role does humor play in coping with cynicism?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overgeneralize media's impact and ignore personal agency in interpreting art.
