--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The artist in all societies has…" description: "\"The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind of barometer, more sensitive to nuances and changes than others, because he is more deeply im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg" --- # The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind… ![“The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind of barometer, more sensitive to nuances and changes than others, because he is more deeply immersed in his culture and more interested in its meanings.” quote by Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg) > “The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind of barometer, more sensitive to nuances and changes than others, because he is more deeply immersed in his culture and more interested in its meanings.” [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists act as cultural barometers, sensing subtle shifts because they are deeply immersed in their societies. **In simple terms:** Artists sense cultural change better than others. Key Takeaway Listen to artistic voices for societal insight. Themes art culture observation societal change creativity Mood analytical thoughtful observational Type sociological artistic When to use this quote - cultural analysis - media studies - urban planning - community engagement - policy making Key Concepts sociology anthropology aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How can we use art to gauge social trends? - What limits an artist’s objectivity? A Different Perspective Artists may be biased by personal perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ## Related quotes > [In Toulouse, you immersed yourself in the culture of the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-thomas/in-toulouse-you-immersed-yourself-in-the-culture-of-the-place/) [Gareth Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-thomas/) > [“I was too deeply immersed in my salad to say his full name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-iadanza/i-was-too-deeply-immersed-in-my-salad-to-say-his-full-name/) [Emma Iadanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-iadanza/) > [“Half an hour later, as I was deeply immersed in the story of The Man of the Hill, that curious, lengthy digression which seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/half-an-hour-later-as-i-was-deeply-immersed-in-the-story-of-the-man/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [With 'Peradam', the nature of the project was such that it was deeply immersed in spiritual concepts in India and is based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/with-peradam-the-nature-of-the-project-was-such-that-it-was-deeply/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) > [In fact, writing, especially writing autobiographical works, and this is actually the fourth time I've done it, each time I've done it I've felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autobiographical-works-and-this-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [It is impossible to have a lively hope in another life, and yet be deeply immersed in the enjoyments of this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-atterbury/it-is-impossible-to-have-a-lively-hope-in-another-life-and-yet-be/) [Francis Atterbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-atterbury/) > [A fish probably has no means of apprehending the existence of water; it is too deeply immersed in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-lodge/a-fish-probably-has-no-means-of-apprehending-the-existence-of-water/) [Oliver Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-lodge/) > [People won't stop painting, just as they won't stop making music or dancing. This is a facility we have. Children don't stop doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/people-won-t-stop-painting-just-as-they-won-t-stop-making-music-or/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I'm not interested in culture; I'm interested in the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-m-not-interested-in-culture-i-m-interested-in-the-law/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [As a young designer in tune with culture, I'm interested in the lifeline of trends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-abloh/as-a-young-designer-in-tune-with-culture-i-m-interested-in-the/) [Virgil Abloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-abloh/) > [I realised that although I was fascinated with America, its history and culture, I was not interested in becoming American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/i-realised-that-although-i-was-fascinated-with-america-its-history/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [“It's often suggested that as a culture, we're only interested in immediate gratification. Fast food. Self-checkout. Downloadable music, movies, books. Instant coffee, instant rebates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/it-s-often-suggested-that-as-a-culture-we-re-only-interested-in/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [Through panel moderations and talks around culture, politics and identity I gradually gained opportunities to write in my own voice and not that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salu/through-panel-moderations-and-talks-around-culture-politics-and/) [Michael Salu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salu/) > [I think that if people show up in jeans and chains, it's great that all parts of culture are interested in music. People forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-hahn/i-think-that-if-people-show-up-in-jeans-and-chains-it-s-great-that/) [Hilary Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-hahn/) > [We've switched from a culture that was interested in manufacturing, economics, politics - trying to play a serious part in the world - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/we-ve-switched-from-a-culture-that-was-interested-in-manufacturing/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Hortense Powdermaker > [The Hollywood atmosphere of crises and continuous anxiety is a kind of hysteria which prevents people from thinking, and is not too different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/the-hollywood-atmosphere-of-crises-and-continuous-anxiety-is-a-kind/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [In Hollywood, primitive magical thinking exists side by side with the most advanced technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/in-hollywood-primitive-magical-thinking-exists-side-by-side-with-the/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [In Hollywood, the ... basic freedom of being able to choose between alternatives is absent. The gifted people who have the capacity for choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/in-hollywood-the-basic-freedom-of-being-able-to-choose-between/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [Hollywood provides ready-made fantasies or daydreams; the problem is whether these are productive or nonproductive, whether the audience is psychologically enriched or impoverished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/hollywood-provides-ready-made-fantasies-or-daydreams-the-problem-is/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [South Sea natives who have been exposed to American movies classify them into two types, 'kiss-kiss' and 'bang-bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/south-sea-natives-who-have-been-exposed-to-american-movies-classify/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [Only a small percentage of novelists, painters, musicians, scientists, anywhere in the world, are talented. But there are many more in Hollywood than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/only-a-small-percentage-of-novelists-painters-musicians-scientists/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) > [All entertainment is education in some way, many times more effective than schools because of the appeal to the emotions rather than to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/all-entertainment-is-education-in-some-way-many-times-more-effective/) [Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) [Explore all 8 Hortense Powdermaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/) ## 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 > [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": "The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind of barometer, more sensitive to nuances and changes than others, because he is more deeply immersed in his culture and more interested in its meanings.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hortense Powdermaker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditionally-been-a-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditionally-been-a-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/hortense-powdermaker-48758_art_the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditio_2987575.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The artist in all societies has traditionally been a kind of barometer, more sensitive to nuances and…” — Hortense Powdermaker", "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": "Hortense Powdermaker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The artist in all societies has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditionally-been-a-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/the-artist-in-all-societies-has-traditionally-been-a-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```