Art Quote by Michael Chabon
“What smells strongly of crap to one generation - Victorian penny dreadfuls, the music of the Archies, the Lone Ranger radio show, blaxploitation films of the seventies - so often becomes a fruitful source of inspiration, veneration, and study for those to come, while certified Great and Worthy Art molders and fades on its storage rack, giving off an increasingly powerful whiff of naphthalene.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, “The Value of the Bad”, 2015
Cultural artifacts once dismissed can later inspire art and scholarship, while established works may fade, showing how taste and value shift over time.
In simple terms: Old, unpopular works can become sources of inspiration later.
Key Takeaway
Seek value in overlooked media.
Themes
culture
nostalgia
art
history
valuation
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
thought‑provoking
When to use this quote
- film studies
- music history
- literary analysis
- creative writing
- museum curation
Key Concepts
cultural recycling
taste cycles
artistic inspiration
Questions to Reflect On
- What “bad” work has inspired you?
- How do you decide which past trends to revive?
A Different Perspective
Risk of glorifying harmful or low‑quality content.
