--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We seem to have lost contact with the…" description: "\"We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective empowerment, pe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png" --- # We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more… ![“We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective empowerment, personal growth, communion with this world, and the search for what lies beneath and above this world.” quote by Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png) > “We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective empowerment, personal growth, communion with this world, and the search for what lies beneath and above this world.” [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that contemporary art has drifted away from its deeper roles of empowering individuals and societies, fostering personal development, and exploring existential questions beyond the material world. **In simple terms:** Art's deeper purpose is lost. Key Takeaway Art should empower and explore beyond the surface. Themes empowerment personal growth collective consciousness existential inquiry cultural critique Mood reflective critical hopeful Type philosophical cultural critique visionary When to use this quote - museum curators reassessing exhibitions - art educators designing curricula - community workshops using art for healing - policy makers funding public art projects Key Concepts artistic function human development spiritual seeking social cohesion Practical Applications - reintegrating empowerment themes into contemporary art - using art as a tool for personal and societal reflection Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance aesthetic innovation with empowerment? - What mechanisms can restore art's role in personal and collective growth? A Different Perspective Some argue that art's value lies in aesthetic innovation rather than overt empowerment, suggesting the quote undervalues formal experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-personal-291621/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Collectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) [Communion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion/) [Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Earlier Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earlier-profound-410740/) [Empowerment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowerment/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Functions Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functions-art-410741/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-contact-410743/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Profound Functions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound-functions-410742/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [One of the functions of art is to offer a more desirable reality - a model, as it were, of another style of existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schmidt/one-of-the-functions-of-art-is-to-offer-a-more-desirable-reality-a/) [Peter Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schmidt/) > [“That is one of the functions of art: to present what the narrow and desperately practical perspectives of real life exclude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/that-is-one-of-the-functions-of-art-to-present-what-the-narrow-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [One of the great functions of art is to help us imagine what it is like to be not ourselves, what it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/one-of-the-great-functions-of-art-is-to-help-us-imagine-what-it-is/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I met Weezy back in 05 before Katrina. I spit a few bars for em. and he said I wanna work with you. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-chuckee/i-met-weezy-back-in-05-before-katrina-i-spit-a-few-bars-for-em-and-he/) [Lil Chuckee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-chuckee/) > [Will I miss Gandalf? 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Art is anything that's creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/art-isn-t-only-a-painting-art-is-anything-that-s-creative-passionate/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/art-is-a-personal-act-of-courage-something-one-human-does-that/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my-2/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [The only quality that endures in art is a personal vision of the world. Methods are transient: personality is enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/the-only-quality-that-endures-in-art-is-a-personal-vision-of-the/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [Art is so personal. I'm very comforted by the fact that certain movies that I love, other people hate. Certain books that I love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/art-is-so-personal-i-m-very-comforted-by-the-fact-that-certain-movies/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) ## More by Peter London > [There are some disabling myths about what art is, how to do it, what is good art, and what art is for, that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/there-are-some-disabling-myths-about-what-art-is-how-to-do-it-what-is/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [Meaning, not beauty, is what we are after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/meaning-not-beauty-is-what-we-are-after/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [An image, a dance step, a song may function from time to time as entertainment, but the root and full practice of the arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/an-image-a-dance-step-a-song-may-function-from-time-to-time-as/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [Unless you periodically unbind yourself from the world as it is given to you from moment to moment, you will fail to release those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/unless-you-periodically-unbind-yourself-from-the-world-as-it-is-given/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [Art that serves an artist best is an experiment in expanding awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/art-that-serves-an-artist-best-is-an-experiment-in-expanding-awareness/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [An artistic endeavour comes into the world naked, unnamed, and vulnerable. 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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": "We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective empowerment, personal growth, communion with this world, and the search for what lies beneath and above this world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter London" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/peter-london-47138_art_we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-ea_25589.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do…” — Peter London", "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": "Peter London", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We seem to have lost contact...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/#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 } } ] } ```