---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is both a vengeance against reality…"
description: "\"Art is both a vengeance against reality and a reconciliation with it.\" — Francine du Plessix Gray"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png"
---

#  Art is both a vengeance against reality and a…

![“Art is both a vengeance against reality and a reconciliation with it.” quote by Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png)

> “Art is both a vengeance against reality and a reconciliation with it.”

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art serves as both a rebellion against the harshness of the world and a way to make peace with it.

**In simple terms:** Art rebels and reconciles with reality.

Key Takeaway

Use art to confront and heal.

Themes

creativity resistance reconciliation

Mood

reflective defiant

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal expression
- social critique
- healing through art
- cultural commentary

Key Concepts

Aesthetic philosophy psychology of art

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your work challenge reality?
- Can art truly reconcile with reality?

A Different Perspective

Art may not change material conditions, only perception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Art Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-vengeance-4520730/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Peacebuilding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacebuilding/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Reconciliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-reconciliation-4520731/) [Reconciliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconciliation/) [Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vengeance/) [Vengeance Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vengeance-reality-4520732/)

## Related quotes

> [As our planet takes action to cast out its manmade poisons and heal its man-caused wounds, many human inhabitants will no doubt give way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/as-our-planet-takes-action-to-cast-out-its-manmade-poisons-and-heal/)

[Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/)

> [Patriarchy values the hard over the soft; the tough over the tender; punishment, vengeance, and vindictiveness over compassion, negotiation, and reconciliation. The 'hard' qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starhawk/patriarchy-values-the-hard-over-the-soft-the-tough-over-the-tender/)

[Starhawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starhawk/)

> [Reconciliation should be accompanied by justice, otherwise it will not last. While we all hope for peace it shouldn't be peace at any cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corazon-aquino/reconciliation-should-be-accompanied-by-justice-otherwise-it-will-not/)

[Corazon Aquino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corazon-aquino/)

> [In the aftermath of any war or genocide, healing and reconciliation are ultimate aspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/in-the-aftermath-of-any-war-or-genocide-healing-and-reconciliation/)

[Janine di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/)

> [Reconciliation requires changes of heart and spirit, as well as social and economic change. It requires symbolic as well as practical action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-fraser/reconciliation-requires-changes-of-heart-and-spirit-as-well-as-social/)

[Malcolm Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-fraser/)

> [Insofar as it represents a genuine reconciliation of differences, a consensus is a fine thing; insofar as it represents a concealment of differences, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/insofar-as-it-represents-a-genuine-reconciliation-of-differences-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-number-one-problem-in-our-world-is-alienation-rich-versus-poor/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I really work for racial reconciliation in many ways. And you can judge me by my writings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/i-really-work-for-racial-reconciliation-in-many-ways-and-you-can/)

[David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/)

> [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [Obama is hardly the first president to seek rapprochement with our adversaries and reconciliation with our enemies, of course. But his determination to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-f-hayes/obama-is-hardly-the-first-president-to-seek-rapprochement-with-our/)

[Stephen F. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-f-hayes/)

> [I do think it is harder to acknowledge our strengths, or to forgive ourselves and each other for our shortcomings, when there has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-do-think-it-is-harder-to-acknowledge-our-strengths-or-to-forgive/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [Reconciliation means - in victory, I win and you're wrong, and then you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alveda-king/reconciliation-means-in-victory-i-win-and-you-re-wrong-and-then-you/)

[Alveda King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alveda-king/)

> [Overall relations between the North and the South have developed in favor of national reconciliation, unity and reunification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-il/overall-relations-between-the-north-and-the-south-have-developed-in/)

[Kim Jong Il](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-il/)

> [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

## More by Francine du Plessix Gray

> [“A heart of fire in a shell of ice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/a-heart-of-fire-in-a-shell-of-ice/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [I think it's one of the reasons I wrote my book later in life. My parents didn't have these extreme alternations of conduct. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/i-think-it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-wrote-my-book-later-in-life-my/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [The choice between starving and being eaten is an exotic one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/the-choice-between-starving-and-being-eaten-is-an-exotic-one/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [“Ah women, women, my life's plague and chief delight!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/ah-women-women-my-life-s-plague-and-chief-delight/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [All our parents have levels of deviousness. We're driven to write about this discrepancy between the bright shining selves they invented and the monsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/all-our-parents-have-levels-of-deviousness-we-re-driven-to-write/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [Oh, save me God, but not quite yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/oh-save-me-god-but-not-quite-yet/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [I write because in the act of creation there comes that mysterious, abundant sense of being both parent and child; I am giving birth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/i-write-because-in-the-act-of-creation-there-comes-that-mysterious/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [“...in Aristotle...leisure is a far more noble, spiritual goal than work...leisure is pursued solely for its own sake...: the pleasures of music and poetry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/in-aristotle-leisure-is-a-far-more-noble-spiritual-goal-than-work/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [The irreversibility of time. That's the hardest thing to accept at our age, that's the most violent aspect of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/the-irreversibility-of-time-that-s-the-hardest-thing-to-accept-at-our/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [Americans and their desire to be novelists, the American novel should be listed in medical dictionaries alongside Megalomania and Obsessional Neuroses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/americans-and-their-desire-to-be-novelists-the-american-novel-should/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [We write out of revenge against reality, to dream and enter the lives of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/we-write-out-of-revenge-against-reality-to-dream-and-enter-the-lives/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [I think we're much more eager to know about our parents than we were in the seventies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/i-think-we-re-much-more-eager-to-know-about-our-parents-than-we-were/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [one forgives parents as naturally as one emancipates oneself from them - usually shortly afterward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/one-forgives-parents-as-naturally-as-one-emancipates-oneself-from/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [I venture that those of us who are most serene when faced with the possibility of nothingness are the ones who've reached furthest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/i-venture-that-those-of-us-who-are-most-serene-when-faced-with-the/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [Why are there no great women artists?' sounds as ignorant of human geography as the query 'Why are there no Eskimo tennis teams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/why-are-there-no-great-women-artists-sounds-as-ignorant-of-human/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

[Explore all 31 Francine du Plessix Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Art is both a vengeance against reality and a reconciliation with it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francine du Plessix Gray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality-and-a-reconciliation-with-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality-and-a-reconciliation-with-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/francine-du-plessix-gray-19971_art_art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality_2962725.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art is both a vengeance against reality and a reconciliation with it.” — Francine du Plessix Gray",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Francine du Plessix Gray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Art is both a vengeance against...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality-and-a-reconciliation-with-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/art-is-both-a-vengeance-against-reality-and-a-reconciliation-with-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
