American writer Quote by Donald Barthelme
“Painters, especially American painters since the Second World War, have been much more troubled, beset by formal perplexity, than American writers. They've been a laboratory for everybody.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Art of Painting,” 1976
Post‑war American painters faced deep formal confusion, unlike writers, serving as experimental ground for all.
In simple terms: Painters were more confused than writers after WWII.
Recognize art as a laboratory for ideas.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- gallery curation
- art education
- creative collaboration
- critical analysis
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes visual art a better laboratory?
- Can writers be equally experimental?
The claim may overlook writers’ own experimental periods.