--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If art is to survive it must describe and…" description: "\"If art is to survive it must describe and express people, their lives and times.\" — Raphael Soyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg" --- # If art is to survive it must describe and express people… ![“If art is to survive it must describe and express people, their lives and times.” quote by Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg) > “If art is to survive it must describe and express people, their lives and times.” [Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art must capture and convey the lived experiences of people and their historical context. **In simple terms:** Art reflects people and their times. Key Takeaway Create art that tells real stories. Themes art history human experience Mood thoughtful critical Type cultural educational When to use this quote - journalism - education - community projects Key Concepts representation social commentary Questions to Reflect On - What stories are missing from mainstream art? - How can art influence societal change? A Different Perspective Risk of neglecting abstract expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The art of the novel, however, has fallen into such a state of stagnation - a lassitude acknowledged and discussed by the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-robbe-grillet/the-art-of-the-novel-however-has-fallen-into-such-a-state-of/) [Alain Robbe-Grillet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-robbe-grillet/) > [“At times such as this, it becomes more important for art to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/at-times-such-as-this-it-becomes-more-important-for-art-to-survive/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Take the Money and Run? Can Political and Socio-Critical Art ‘Survive’?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-rosler/take-the-money-and-run-can-political-and-socio-critical-art-survive/) [Martha Rosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-rosler/) > [The world around us is in a sea change, and I think the glory of art is that it cannot only survive change, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/the-world-around-us-is-in-a-sea-change-and-i-think-the-glory-of-art/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I have the best job in the world. I'm able to express myself, and people attach themselves to it if they identify with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hetfield/i-have-the-best-job-in-the-world-i-m-able-to-express-myself-and/) [James Hetfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hetfield/) > [Part of being an artist is that you want to express yourself to as many people as possible. But you don't want to exclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/part-of-being-an-artist-is-that-you-want-to-express-yourself-to-as/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [All Ive ever aimed for is just to be allowed to express myself. And that people seem to enjoy seeing me do my work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/all-ive-ever-aimed-for-is-just-to-be-allowed-to-express-myself-and/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [People who care, use words to express. 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I wouldn't shy away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-sharma/if-i-feel-i-am-not-doing-something-right-i-express-it-to-people-and/) [Nia Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-sharma/) > [In life, you should be allowed to express yourself. People are happier like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-bellerin/in-life-you-should-be-allowed-to-express-yourself-people-are-happier/) [Hector Bellerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-bellerin/) > [It's fun chasing boys, especially when you're young, but I think it takes time and life experience to notice the other boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/it-s-fun-chasing-boys-especially-when-you-re-young-but-i-think-it/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Raphael Soyer > [Tolstoy's definition of art is the inverse of the truth; the task of art is to transform not perception into feeling, but feeling into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/tolstoy-s-definition-of-art-is-the-inverse-of-the-truth-the-task-of/) [Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) > [From all that I have seen, I am more than ever convinced that art must communicate, and it must represent, describe and express people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/from-all-that-i-have-seen-i-am-more-than-ever-convinced-that-art-must/) [Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) > [Every brush stroke has a certain tension, a certain nervousness. Every brush stroke is, in a sense, some kind of an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/every-brush-stroke-has-a-certain-tension-a-certain-nervousness-every/) [Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) > [If I don't paint for one day, I don't feel well physically or mentally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/if-i-don-t-paint-for-one-day-i-don-t-feel-well-physically-or-mentally/) [Raphael Soyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) [Explore all 5 Raphael Soyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/) ## 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 > [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": "If art is to survive it must describe and express people, their lives and times.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raphael Soyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-and-express-people-their-lives/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-and-express-people-their-lives/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/raphael-soyer-58988_art_if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-an_476971.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If art is to survive it must describe and express people, their lives and times.” — Raphael Soyer", "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": "Raphael Soyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-soyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If art is to survive it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-and-express-people-their-lives/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-soyer/if-art-is-to-survive-it-must-describe-and-express-people-their-lives/#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 } } ] } ```