Art Quote by Kenneth Patchen
““I have told the story of the great plague-summer; as an artist I could have wished that there had been more structure and design to it – as a man, that there had been less of the kind there was.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Great Plague‑Summer” (1935)
Artists desire structure, but men desire less chaos; the plague lacked both.
In simple terms: Artists crave order; men crave less chaos.
Key Takeaway
Balance structure and freedom.
Themes
art
chaos
structure
humanity
history
Mood
contemplative
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- artistic planning
- social critique
- historical study
- personal coping
Key Concepts
creative process
philosophical reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- How much structure is needed?
- What chaos fuels growth?
A Different Perspective
Too much order stifles creativity.
![“It is a great plague to be too handsome a man. [Lat., Nimia est miseria nimis pulchrum esse hominem.]” quote by Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8cc/plautus-1263_beauty_it-is-a-great-plague-to-be-too-handsome_2527261.jpg)
