Art Quote by Edmond de Goncourt
“Surely nothing has to listen to so many stupid remarks as a painting in a museum.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Diary of a Country Priest, 1900
A painting in a museum endends endless criticism because it cannot respond, highlighting the futility of judging static art.
In simple terms: Art cannot reply to criticism.
Key Takeaway
Accept art without expecting justification.
Themes
art criticism
perception
silence
Mood
contemplative
neutral
Type
observational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- gallery visits
- art education
- curatorial decisions
Key Concepts
aesthetic theory
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does silence affect your interpretation?
- Can criticism ever change a static work?
A Different Perspective
Art may still influence viewers despite silence.
![“I think, at the L.A. County Museum of Art, I saw my first example of Kerry James Marshall, who had a very sort of heroic, oversized painting of black men in a barbershop. But it was painted on the same level and with the same urgency that you would see in a grand-scale [Anthony] van Dyck or…” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a08/kehinde-wiley-1194_art_i-think-at-the-l-a-county-museum-of-art_1563358.jpg)
![“[He] went on to say that during all those years he had done nothing at all, that all he had felt had been a need to live, to live actively, violently, noisily, a need to sing, to make music, to roam the woods, to drink a little too much and get involved in a brawl.” quote by Edmond De Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3e1/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_life_he-went-on-to-say-that-during-all-those_436609.jpg)
