--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was great about the 50s is that for…" description: "\"What was great about the 50s is that for one brief moment - maybe, say, six weeks - nobody understood art.\" — Morton Feldman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/morton-feldman-20186_art_what-was-great-about-the-50s-is-that-for_1864915.png" --- # What was great about the 50s is that for one brief moment… ![“What was great about the 50s is that for one brief moment - maybe, say, six weeks - nobody understood art.” quote by Morton Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/morton-feldman-20186_art_what-was-great-about-the-50s-is-that-for_1864915.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/morton-feldman-20186_art_what-was-great-about-the-50s-is-that-for_1864915.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/morton-feldman-20186_art_what-was-great-about-the-50s-is-that-for_1864915.png) > “What was great about the 50s is that for one brief moment - maybe, say, six weeks - nobody understood art.” [Morton Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-feldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The 1950s briefly escaped artistic understanding, allowing pure creation before critique set in. **In simple terms:** Art thrived when it was not yet judged. Key Takeaway Value moments of unexamined creativity. Themes art history culture creativity Mood contemplative nostalgic Type observational reflective When to use this quote - gallery openings - artist residencies - creative workshops - media reviews Key Concepts modernism public perception Questions to Reflect On - What conditions foster uncritical artistic expression? - How does critique shape art over time? A Different Perspective Understanding often follows and can limit freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Brief moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brief-moments/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [There's a brief moment when you first wake up, where you have no memories. A blissful blank slate, a happy emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/there-s-a-brief-moment-when-you-first-wake-up-where-you-have-no/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [For one brief moment victory was within our grasp!" "And then the game started!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/for-one-brief-moment-victory-was-within-our-grasp-and-then-the-game/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [There is a brief moment when all there is in a man's mind and soul and spirit is reflected through his eyes, his hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/there-is-a-brief-moment-when-all-there-is-in-a-man-s-mind-and-soul/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [There was a brief moment after 9/11 when Colin Powell said we should not rush to satisfy the desire for revenge. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/there-was-a-brief-moment-after-9-11-when-colin-powell-said-we-should/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [When contrasted with the much longer time that life has been present, the course of Christianity thus far is but a brief moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/when-contrasted-with-the-much-longer-time-that-life-has-been-present/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/the-creative-act-lasts-but-a-brief-moment-a-lightning-instant-of-give/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/god-often-gives-in-one-brief-moment-that-which-he-has-for-a-long-time/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [Some people can touch your life for a brief moment but will leave an imprint for a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-williams/some-people-can-touch-your-life-for-a-brief-moment-but-will-leave-an/) [Lisa Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-williams/) > [I guess what I'm passionate about is, I see so many things that I find that there's no real solution to, and you're only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-guess-what-i-m-passionate-about-is-i-see-so-many-things-that-i-find/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [You cannot deny that love lasts for only a brief moment, uniting two beings as a single being that is capable of only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/you-cannot-deny-that-love-lasts-for-only-a-brief-moment-uniting-two/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [“There was a brief moment of weightlesssness: a balancing point between air and earth, dirt and heaven. 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Art, music and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/there-are-three-things-i-have-loved-but-never-understood-art-music/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [“People may be understood through the art they produce or by descriptions from friends and family, by observation, or through their dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salomon-grimberg/people-may-be-understood-through-the-art-they-produce-or-by/) Salomon Grimberg > [The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. 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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 > [The house has to serve comfort. 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