Communication Quote by Honore de Balzac
“[Raphael's] great superiority is due to the instinctive sense which, in him, seems to desire to shatter form. Form is, in his figures, what it is in ourselves, an interpreter for the communication of ideas and sensations, an exhaustless source of poetic inspiration. Every figure is a world in itself, a portrait of which the original appeared in a sublime vision, in a flood of light, pointed to by an inward voice, laid bare by a divine finger which showed what the sources of expression had been in the whole past life of the subject.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Critique of Raphael's Art, 19th century art criticism
Balzac praises Raphael's instinctive drive to break conventional forms, seeing his figures as self‑contained worlds that reveal deep poetic truth through divine inspiration.
In simple terms: Raphael's art breaks form to reveal deeper meaning.
Embrace breaking norms to discover hidden depth.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- art criticism
- visual arts education
- creative practice
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does breaking form reveal new ideas?
- When does tradition hinder creativity?
Breaking form may alienate traditional audiences.