--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In spite of their obvious differences…" description: "\"In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic, convent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/gilbert-seldes-61410_affection_in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-fo_71238.jpg" --- # In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and… ![“In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic, conventionally moral, and they are held in deep affection by those who are suspicious of the great arts. Popular artists can be serious, like Frederick…” quote by Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/gilbert-seldes-61410_affection_in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-fo_71238.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/gilbert-seldes-61410_affection_in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-fo_71238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/gilbert-seldes-61410_affection_in-spite-of-their-obvious-differences-fo_71238.jpg) > “In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic, conventionally moral, and they are held in deep affection by those who are suspicious of the great arts. Popular artists can be serious, like Frederick Remington, or trivial, like Charles Dana Gibson; they can be men of genius like Chaplin or men of talent like Harold Lloyd; they can be as uni versal as Dickens or as parochial as E.P. Roe; one thing common to all of them is the power to communicate directly with everyone.” [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Folk and popular art, despite differing origins, share accessibility, emotional resonance, and moral simplicity, appealing to those skeptical of elite art forms. **In simple terms:** Popular art bridges elite and everyday culture. Key Takeaway Direct communication is its power. Themes Accessibility Emotion Moral simplicity Cultural bridge Democratization Direct communication Mood Reflective Nostalgic Optimistic Type Observational Comparative Cultural critique When to use this quote - Art criticism - Museum curation - Cultural studies - Education - Media analysis Key Concepts Folk art Popular art Cultural hierarchy Mass appeal Practical Applications - Curating inclusive exhibitions - Designing community art programs Questions to Reflect On - How does popular art challenge elite standards? - What makes an artwork universally resonant? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Popular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-popular-627143/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Arts Popular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts-popular-935732/) [Be a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-a-man/) [Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaplin/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Communicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicate/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Deep affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-affection/) [Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dickens/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Folk art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-art/) [Folks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folks/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Patriotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic/) [Popular Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-art/) [Popular Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-artists-935733/) [Popular culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-culture/) [Remington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remington/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) [Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) ## Related quotes > [There are some popular artists - you would say they run Jamaica, like their songs are played everywhere in Jamaica, because everyone there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koffee/there-are-some-popular-artists-you-would-say-they-run-jamaica-like/) [Koffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koffee/) > [Whether looking at pop music, hip-hop or R&B, it's rare to find an artist who hasn't been touched or affected by the power and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-sapp/whether-looking-at-pop-music-hip-hop-or-r-b-it-s-rare-to-find-an/) [Marvin Sapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-sapp/) > [I think it's what the times are demanding. If you're talking about the popular artists, they collaborate with a lot of different people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/i-think-it-s-what-the-times-are-demanding-if-you-re-talking-about-the/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [The conceptual and politically-driven art so popular and considered to be the forefront of contemporary art today is limited by its topicality and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kahn/the-conceptual-and-politically-driven-art-so-popular-and-considered/) [Scott Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kahn/) > [The public has always, and in every age, been badly brought up. They are continually asking Art to be popular, to please their want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-public-has-always-and-in-every-age-been-badly-brought-up-they-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [In no way am I demeaning writing or any other form of art because it's popular. What I'm saying is that anything fed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/in-no-way-am-i-demeaning-writing-or-any-other-form-of-art-because-it/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“Great art might not be popular, but it is always born out of non-linear, non-formulaic thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhaidev/great-art-might-not-be-popular-but-it-is-always-born-out-of-non/) [Abhaidev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhaidev/) > [Art is too popular. If plumbing was as popular as art is we would have amateur plumbers running around brandishing wrenches and Roto-Rooters, climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/art-is-too-popular-if-plumbing-was-as-popular-as-art-is-we-would-have/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [Popularity is the crown of laurel which the world puts on bad art. Whatever is popular is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/popularity-is-the-crown-of-laurel-which-the-world-puts-on-bad-art/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“There's no such thing as good art or bad art. Art is popular or unpopular. What is banned in Boston may be bid on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-brackin/there-s-no-such-thing-as-good-art-or-bad-art-art-is-popular-or/) [Ron Brackin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-brackin/) > [Art should never be popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/art-should-never-be-popular/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The whole point of art, aside from the aesthetic pleasure it yields, is that it provides a bridge to the past; that seductive land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-humphries/the-whole-point-of-art-aside-from-the-aesthetic-pleasure-it-yields-is/) [Barry Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-humphries/) > [I have Glocks, .45s, Berettas, Remingtons. I like the marksmanship and the discipline that it takes to be a gun owner. I like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/i-have-glocks-45s-berettas-remingtons-i-like-the-marksmanship-and-the/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [Why won't you take me, Remington?" He groans and pulls me closer. "Because I want you too much".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-evans/why-won-t-you-take-me-remington-he-groans-and-pulls-me-closer-because/) [Katy Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-evans/) > [You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-randolph-hearst/you-furnish-the-pictures-and-i-ll-furnish-the-war/) [William Randolph Hearst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-randolph-hearst/) ## More by Gilbert Seldes > [Comedy is the last refuge of the nonconformist mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/comedy-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-nonconformist-mind/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) > [Comedy is the last refuge of the non-comformist mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/comedy-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-non-comformist-mind/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) > [“I came gradually to want to prove nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/i-came-gradually-to-want-to-prove-nothing/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) > [Suddenly, as though in a dream, this apparition, this double apparition, approached me. The two most beautiful people in the world were floating toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-seldes/suddenly-as-though-in-a-dream-this-apparition-this-double-apparition/) [Gilbert Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) [Explore all 5 Gilbert Seldes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-seldes/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In spite of their obvious differences, folk art and popular art have much in common; they are easy to understand, they are romantic, patriotic, conventionally moral, and they are held in deep affection by those who are suspicious of the great arts. 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