---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see artists as a great battalion moving…"
description: "\"I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint, words, music towards cosmological interpretation.\" — Lawrence Durrell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg"
---

#  I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint…

![“I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint, words, music towards cosmological interpretation.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg)

> “I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint, words, music towards cosmological interpretation.”

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

## About This Quote

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

Artists collectively explore reality through various media, seeking universal meaning.

**In simple terms:** Artists seek deep meaning across art forms.

Key Takeaway

Explore multiple mediums for deeper insight.

Themes

art creativity interpretation cosmology collaboration

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- painting
- music
- film
- education

Key Concepts

aesthetic theory interdisciplinary art symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your medium shape your worldview?
- What universal themes emerge in your work?

A Different Perspective

Artistic interpretation is subjective and may lack consensus.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Artists Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-great-728725/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-paint-1754048/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Cosmological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-cosmological-1754047/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-words-1754049/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/)

## Related quotes

> [“In the first place, the direct creation of words. Therein lies the mystery of tongues. To paint with words, which contains figures one knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-the-first-place-the-direct-creation-of-words-therein-lies-the/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Painters must speak through paint, not through words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hofmann/painters-must-speak-through-paint-not-through-words/)

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

> [I dreamt that I could paint you with words, but there were no colors bright enough, black or white enough, blue or green enough...they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-dreamt-that-i-could-paint-you-with-words-but-there-were-no-colors/)

[Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/)

> [“And even if something had once been committed to paper, did it mean that it was still true? Always true? Unlike the relative permanence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-oliveira/and-even-if-something-had-once-been-committed-to-paper-did-it-mean/)

[Robin Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-oliveira/)

> [Sometimes I just want to paint the words It's my fault across my forehead to save people the time of being pissed off at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-just-want-to-paint-the-words-it-s-my-fault-across-my/)

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

> [Did not the artists of the great age of Japanese art change names many times during their careers? I like that; they wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/did-not-the-artists-of-the-great-age-of-japanese-art-change-names/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [Great artistic talent in any direction... is hardly inherent to the man. It comes and goes; it is often possessed only for a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/great-artistic-talent-in-any-direction-is-hardly-inherent-to-the-man/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

> [Creative artists have great passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/creative-artists-have-great-passion/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [“I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-great-artists-and-great-engineers-are-similar-in-that-they/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [Artists are great. They jump in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/artists-are-great-they-jump-in/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [That's what great art does - it inspires other artists to do great art, and that's what it should do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/that-s-what-great-art-does-it-inspires-other-artists-to-do-great-art/)

[Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/)

> [I gotta say, the Catholic Church has churned out a lot of great artists and directors and actors, so if that's all they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rust/i-gotta-say-the-catholic-church-has-churned-out-a-lot-of-great/)

[Paul Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rust/)

> [As theater artists, it's a great luxury to have time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-freeman/as-theater-artists-it-s-a-great-luxury-to-have-time/)

[Jonathan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-freeman/)

> [“Art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-and-everyone-will-have-their-own/)

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

> [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

## More by Lawrence Durrell

> [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [It only takes one match to ignite a haystack, or one remark to fire a mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-only-takes-one-match-to-ignite-a-haystack-or-one-remark-to-fire-a/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“He felt that his mind had become a battle-ground for the forces of good and evil and that his task was to strain every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-felt-that-his-mind-had-become-a-battle-ground-for-the-forces-of/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Science is the poetry of the intellect and poetry the science of the heart's affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/science-is-the-poetry-of-the-intellect-and-poetry-the-science-of-the/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/travel-can-be-one-of-the-most-rewarding-forms-of-introspection/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Everyone loathes his own country and countrymen if he is any sort of artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/everyone-loathes-his-own-country-and-countrymen-if-he-is-any-sort-of/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“The slither of tyres across the waves of the desert under a sky blue and frost-bound in winter; or in summer a fearful lunar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-slither-of-tyres-across-the-waves-of-the-desert-under-a-sky-blue/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

[Explore all 179 Lawrence Durrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint, words, music towards cosmological interpretation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Durrell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-moving-through-paint-words-music/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-moving-through-paint-words-music/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-movin_958191.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I see artists as a great battalion moving through paint, words, music towards cosmological interpretation.” — Lawrence Durrell",
                "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": "Lawrence Durrell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I see artists as a great...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-moving-through-paint-words-music/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/i-see-artists-as-a-great-battalion-moving-through-paint-words-music/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
