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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.” quote by Donald Barthelme
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“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.”

Donald Barthelme

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.

Key Takeaway

Recognize art as a laboratory for ideas.

Themes

art confusion experimentation

Mood

analytical curious

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

  • gallery curation
  • art education
  • creative collaboration
  • critical analysis

Key Concepts

modernism visual language

Questions to Reflect On

  • What makes visual art a better laboratory?
  • Can writers be equally experimental?
A Different Perspective

The claim may overlook writers’ own experimental periods.

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