Art Quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
“Pytheos made a mistake by not observing that the arts are each composed of two things, the actual work and the theory of it. One of these, the doing of the work, is proper to men trained in the individual subject, while the other the theory is common to all scholars.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: De Architectura, Book I, 1st century BC
Art comprises practice and theory; practice requires specialist skill, theory is universal.
In simple terms: Art = doing + thinking; doing needs expertise, thinking is shared.
Key Takeaway
Study both practice and theory.
Themes
art
education
skill
Mood
educational
analytical
Type
philosophical
practical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- skill training
- creative projects
Key Concepts
specialization
universal knowledge
craftsmanship
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance theory and practice?
- When is theory more valuable than practice?
A Different Perspective
Focusing only on theory can hinder practical ability.
![“Leave a cavity behind the [wall] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick or lava in courses, and then bind them to the fronts by means of iron clamps and lead. The beds and builds, all settling equally and bonded at the joints, will not let…” quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d76/marcus-vitruvius-pollio-7498_bed_leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-a_5922.jpg)
![“The [engineer] should be equipped with knowledge of many branches of study and varied kinds of learning, for it is by his judgement that all work done by the other arts is put to test. This knowledge is the child of practice and theory.” quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/afa/marcus-vitruvius-pollio-7498_art_the-engineer-should-be-equipped-with-kno_386834.jpg)
![“All these soft kinds [of stone] have the advantage that they can be easily worked as soon as they have been taken from the quarries. Under cover, they play their part well; but in open and exposed situations the frost and rime make them crumble, and they go to pieces. On the seacoast, too, the…” quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/541/marcus-vitruvius-pollio-7498_advantage_all-these-soft-kinds-of-stone-have-the-a_406721.jpg)
