--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the modern movement began, starting…" description: "\"When the modern movement began, starting perhaps with the paintings of Manet and the poetry of Baudelaire and Rimbaud, what distinguished the modern mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/j-g-ballard-2711_bourgeois_when-the-modern-movement-began-starting_1812196.jpg" --- # When the modern movement began, starting perhaps with the… ![“When the modern movement began, starting perhaps with the paintings of Manet and the poetry of Baudelaire and Rimbaud, what distinguished the modern movement was the enormous honesty that writers, painters and playwrights displayed about themselves. The bourgeois novel flinches from such notions.” quote by J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/j-g-ballard-2711_bourgeois_when-the-modern-movement-began-starting_1812196.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/j-g-ballard-2711_bourgeois_when-the-modern-movement-began-starting_1812196.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/j-g-ballard-2711_bourgeois_when-the-modern-movement-began-starting_1812196.jpg) > “When the modern movement began, starting perhaps with the paintings of Manet and the poetry of Baudelaire and Rimbaud, what distinguished the modern movement was the enormous honesty that writers, painters and playwrights displayed about themselves. The bourgeois novel flinches from such notions.” [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) ## 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 were brutally honest about themselves, unlike the bourgeois novel which avoided such self‑exposure. **In simple terms:** Artists show raw truth; novels hide it. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity in creative work. Themes honesty modernism self‑exposure artistic integrity literature Mood introspective critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing a memoir - creating avant‑garde art - teaching literature - critiquing mainstream media Key Concepts existentialism self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you avoiding? - How does honesty affect reception? A Different Perspective Honesty can alienate audiences accustomed to comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourgeois/) [Bourgeois Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourgeois-novel-1558040/) [Displayed Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/displayed-bourgeois-2124322/) [Distinguished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished/) [Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enormous/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-movement-1298871/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Movement Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement-began-785283/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Paintings Manet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-manet-2124323/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) ## Related quotes > [The bourgeois novel is the greatest enemy of truth and honesty that was ever invented. 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Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard-2/) > [There is no sadder tale in the annals of architecture than the virtual disappearance of the defining architectural form of the Modern Movement -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/there-is-no-sadder-tale-in-the-annals-of-architecture-than-the/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [And then there is that one-man movement, Marcel Duchamp for me a truly modern movement because it implies that each artist can do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/and-then-there-is-that-one-man-movement-marcel-duchamp-for-me-a-truly/) [Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/) > [The modern labor movement that began around the mid-19th century has given us many of the basic working rights that we now take for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/the-modern-labor-movement-that-began-around-the-mid-19th-century-has/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I'm thinking about some developments say in the 80s when the anti-apartheid movement began to claim more support and strength within the US. 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By contrast, Huxley's 'Brave New World' suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/orwell-s-1984-convinced-me-rightly-or-wrongly-that-marxism-was-only-a/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) [Explore all 151 J. G. Ballard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. 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