---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The struggle to make an absolute…"
description: "\"The struggle to make an absolute statement in an individually conceived vocabulary accounts for the profound tensions inherent in the best modern work...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png"
---

#  The struggle to make an absolute statement in an…

![“The struggle to make an absolute statement in an individually conceived vocabulary accounts for the profound tensions inherent in the best modern work.” quote by Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png)

> “The struggle to make an absolute statement in an individually conceived vocabulary accounts for the profound tensions inherent in the best modern work.”

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

## About This Quote

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

Modern artists struggle to create absolute statements using personal vocabularies, causing inherent tension in their work.

**In simple terms:** Creating absolute statements with personal language creates tension.

Key Takeaway

Embrace tension as creative fuel.

Themes

artistic expression modernism language tension

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

theoretical inspirational

When to use this quote

- painting studios
- art criticism
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

Creativity individualism philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal vocabulary shape art?
- Can tension improve artistic depth?

A Different Perspective

Absolute statements may be impossible; tension can be productive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/)

## Related quotes

> [Just as counterpoint and harmony follow their own laws, and differ in rhythm and movement, both formal tensions and color tensions have a development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hofmann/just-as-counterpoint-and-harmony-follow-their-own-laws-and-differ-in/)

[Hans Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hofmann/)

> [In the World Cup, much depends for every team on how it develops during the tournament. There are always rising tensions. They come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-beckenbauer/in-the-world-cup-much-depends-for-every-team-on-how-it-develops/)

[Franz Beckenbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-beckenbauer/)

> [I'm concerned with China growing at double or triple the rate of the West, that there will be tensions. One needs to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/i-m-concerned-with-china-growing-at-double-or-triple-the-rate-of-the/)

[Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/)

> [“When we stay locked up in the spectrum of unsolved life stories and keep hiding in an arcane prism, life remains a mystery behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-stay-locked-up-in-the-spectrum-of-unsolved-life-stories-and/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [There is no life without work, anxieties or tensions. Peace is not found in avoiding these but in understanding them and controlling their force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-beckett/there-is-no-life-without-work-anxieties-or-tensions-peace-is-not/)

[Wendy Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-beckett/)

> [Ethnic divisions can definitely be exacerbated by a lack of natural resources, but those tensions become violent when people manipulate them for their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/ethnic-divisions-can-definitely-be-exacerbated-by-a-lack-of-natural/)

[Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/)

> [We must do what we can to reduce, not increase, tensions. We must do what we can to present only the facts as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-spender/we-must-do-what-we-can-to-reduce-not-increase-tensions-we-must-do/)

Percy Spender

> [Often in companies, you'll see tensions between sales and marketing. Sales people will want to give discounts to clients because they often get paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/often-in-companies-you-ll-see-tensions-between-sales-and-marketing/)

[Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/)

> [We've learnt that all couples have beef with each other and have ongoing tensions about something. Everyone's the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-beaumont/we-ve-learnt-that-all-couples-have-beef-with-each-other-and-have/)

[Lucy Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-beaumont/)

> [“When, in May, tensions reached a high point, London warned Berlin that if it attacked Czechoslovakia and the French were embroiled as well, "His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/when-in-may-tensions-reached-a-high-point-london-warned-berlin-that/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [I'm a physical actor in that I start with a physical sketch of the character. I find it easier to find inspiration from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-m-a-physical-actor-in-that-i-start-with-a-physical-sketch-of-the/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [The tensions between authority and the people need to be heard, especially when they are suffering and they can't eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/the-tensions-between-authority-and-the-people-need-to-be-heard/)

[Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/)

> [In a summer marked by instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I know the world also took notice of the small American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/in-a-summer-marked-by-instability-in-the-middle-east-and-eastern/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [An empty canvas, apparently really empty, that says nothing and is without significance – almost dull, in fact – in reality, is crammed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/an-empty-canvas-apparently-really-empty-that-says-nothing-and-is/)

[Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/)

> [It's got to do with the contention between content and form. Invariably that's what's responsible for its energies, its tensions, its being interesting or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/it-s-got-to-do-with-the-contention-between-content-and-form/)

[Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/)

## More by Harold Rosenberg

> [The current demoralization of the art world is attributable at least in part to museum interference, ideological and practical, with ongoing creation in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-current-demoralization-of-the-art-world-is-attributable-at-least/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Politics in the United States consists of the struggle between those whose change has been arrested by success or failure, on one side, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/politics-in-the-united-states-consists-of-the-struggle-between-those/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Whoever undertakes to create soon finds himself engaged in creating himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/whoever-undertakes-to-create-soon-finds-himself-engaged-in-creating/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Kitsch is the daily art of our time, as the vase or the hymn was for earlier generations. For the sensibility it has that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/kitsch-is-the-daily-art-of-our-time-as-the-vase-or-the-hymn-was-for/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [The internationalization of art becomes a factor contributing to the estrangement of art from the artist. The sum of works of all times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-internationalization-of-art-becomes-a-factor-contributing-to-the/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Both art and the artist lack identity and define themselves only through their encounter with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/both-art-and-the-artist-lack-identity-and-define-themselves-only/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [It is not logical for art to be logical. Art goes against the grain of the times as readily as it goes with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/it-is-not-logical-for-art-to-be-logical-art-goes-against-the-grain-of/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [The new painting has broken down every distinction between art and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-new-painting-has-broken-down-every-distinction-between-art-and/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [The values to which the conservative appeals are inevitably caricatured by the individuals designated to put them into practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-values-to-which-the-conservative-appeals-are-inevitably/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Imitation of the art of earlier centuries, as that done by Picasso and Modigliani , is carried on not to perpetuate ancient values but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/imitation-of-the-art-of-earlier-centuries-as-that-done-by-picasso-and/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Abstract art as it is conceived at present is a game bequeathed to painting and sculpture by art history. One who accepts its premises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/abstract-art-as-it-is-conceived-at-present-is-a-game-bequeathed-to/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [A painting that is an act is inseparable from the biography of the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/a-painting-that-is-an-act-is-inseparable-from-the-biography-of-the/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [The skills of the modern artist are the opposite of those of the craftsman: instead of acquiring techniques for producing classes of objects, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-skills-of-the-modern-artist-are-the-opposite-of-those-of-the/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Co-operating critics comb the studios like big-league scouts, prepared to spot the art of the future and to take lead in establishing reputations. Art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/co-operating-critics-comb-the-studios-like-big-league-scouts-prepared/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [Only conservatives believe that subversion is still being carried on in the arts and that society is being shaken by it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/only-conservatives-believe-that-subversion-is-still-being-carried-on/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

[Explore all 52 Harold Rosenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

## More Absolutes quotes

> [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [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/)

> [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/)

[Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/)

> [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/)

Christy Nockels

> [Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/)

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

> [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/)

[Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/)

> [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/)

[Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/)

> [Joining a company is an act that calls for absolute loyalty in big matters and little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/joining-a-company-is-an-act-that-calls-for-absolute-loyalty-in-big/)

[Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/)

> [In fine, a life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fine-a-life-of-good-or-evil-the-hope-of-heaven-or-the-despair-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 2,016 Absolutes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The struggle to make an absolute statement in an individually conceived vocabulary accounts for the profound tensions inherent in the best modern work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harold Rosenberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-statement-in-an-individually/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absolutes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-statement-in-an-individually/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/harold-rosenberg-12873_absolutes_the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-stateme_1944183.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The struggle to make an absolute statement in an individually conceived vocabulary accounts for the profound…” — Harold Rosenberg",
                "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": "Harold Rosenberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The struggle to make an absolute...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-statement-in-an-individually/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-struggle-to-make-an-absolute-statement-in-an-individually/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
