--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art—real art—connects artists, and their…" description: "\"“Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those who experience their art, to the metaphysical background of the world, to the imaginal world t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg" --- # Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those… ![“Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those who experience their art, to the metaphysical background of the world, to the imaginal world that lies deep within the physical. That is, in part, its ecological function. And that is why the continuing assaults on the imaginal (and its…” quote by Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg) > ““Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those who experience their art, to the metaphysical background of the world, to the imaginal world that lies deep within the physical. That is, in part, its ecological function. And that is why the continuing assaults on the imaginal (and its explorers) are so pervasive, why the schooling of artists—of writers, musicians, painters, sculptors—has become so mechanical, so oriented toward surfaces, toward form. For if we should recapture the response of the heart to what is presented to the senses, go below the surface of sensory inputs to what is held inside them, touch again the “metaphysical background” that expresses them, we would begin to experience, once more, the world as it really is: alive, aware, interactive, communicative, filled with soul, and very, very intelligent—and we, only one tiny part of that vast scenario. And that would endanger the foundations upon which Western culture, our technology—and all reductionist science—is based; for as James Hillman so eloquently put it, “It was only when science convinced us that nature was dead that it could begin its autopsy in earnest.” A living, aware, and soul-filled world does not respond well to autopsy.”” [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art reconnects humanity with deeper metaphysical reality, countering mechanistic culture. **In simple terms:** Art links us to deeper, unseen world. Key Takeaway Seek art that awakens inner perception. Themes art metaphysics ecology culture Mood thought‑provoking philosophical Type literary cultural When to use this quote - creative education - community workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts philosophy aesthetics spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can art education revive heart‑centered perception? - What practices deepen artistic intuition? A Different Perspective Modern art can be commercial, limiting depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-metaphysical-2186025/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Deep Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-physical-2186027/) [Metaphysical Background](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical-background-2186026/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Real Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-art-839618/) [Western culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-culture/) [World Imaginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-imaginal-2186028/) ## Related quotes > [Art's a very metaphysical activity. It's something that enriches the parameters of your life, the possibilities of being, and you touch transcendence and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/art-s-a-very-metaphysical-activity-it-s-something-that-enriches-the/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [The fact that cartoons are reproduced doesn't mean anything to me as far as whether they are "real art" or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/the-fact-that-cartoons-are-reproduced-doesn-t-mean-anything-to-me-as/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Making reality real is art's responsibility. It is a practical assignment, then, a self-assignment: to achieve, by a cultivated sensitivity for observing life, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/making-reality-real-is-art-s-responsibility-it-is-a-practical/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [If you cannot learn to love real art at least learn to hate sham art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/if-you-cannot-learn-to-love-real-art-at-least-learn-to-hate-sham-art/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [ Exposure to the reproductions \[of Corbis-owned fine art photographs\] is likely to increase rather than diminish reverence for the real art and encourage more… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/exposure-to-the-reproductions-of-corbis-owned-fine-art-photographs-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Colloquial poetry is to the real art as the barber's wax dummy is to sculpture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/colloquial-poetry-is-to-the-real-art-as-the-barber-s-wax-dummy-is-to/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I would like the whole world to be full with authentic art, throbbing with it, living with it, because that is the only way:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-would-like-the-whole-world-to-be-full-with-authentic-art-throbbing/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I think there is a real art to walkabouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-middleton/i-think-there-is-a-real-art-to-walkabouts/) [Kate Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-middleton/) > [Before the money or anything, number one, it was just to put out real music, real stuff with a passion, real art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/before-the-money-or-anything-number-one-it-was-just-to-put-out-real/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [I try to use models at least for the main characters because of the nature of my art. I tend to focus on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-try-to-use-models-at-least-for-the-main-characters-because-of-the/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [James Franco has turned his life into a real art project. In my opinion, that's the way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-armisen/james-franco-has-turned-his-life-into-a-real-art-project-in-my/) [Fred Armisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-armisen/) > [Real art is basic emotion. If a scene is handled with simplicity - and I don't mean simple - it'll be good, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/real-art-is-basic-emotion-if-a-scene-is-handled-with-simplicity-and-i/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [That's what New York is like - you can't have real art happen in an institution because rich people can make the world stop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/that-s-what-new-york-is-like-you-can-t-have-real-art-happen-in-an/) [M.I.A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-a/) > [The real art is in the street, is making the artwork, and for that you have to involve people. The action is actually the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr/the-real-art-is-in-the-street-is-making-the-artwork-and-for-that-you/) [JR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jr/) > [You'll need to suffer to make any real art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-ll-need-to-suffer-to-make-any-real-art/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Stephen Harrod Buhner > [“In this process of unlearning, in the process of feeling and hearing the plants again, one comes to realize many things. And of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/in-this-process-of-unlearning-in-the-process-of-feeling-and-hearing/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Increasing the levels of zinc in the body can have an immediate, powerful effect on sperm motility, production, and even testosterone levels in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/increasing-the-levels-of-zinc-in-the-body-can-have-an-immediate/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“The medicine wheel represents the circle of all life. When you sit in the wheel and evoke the sacred, all life comes to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/the-medicine-wheel-represents-the-circle-of-all-life-when-you-sit-in/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Things To Avoid Hops and beer. The potent estrogen, estradiol, found in large quantities in hops, plays a powerful role in increasing prostate size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/things-to-avoid-hops-and-beer-the-potent-estrogen-estradiol-found-in/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Importantly, Haemophilus are what are called fastidious bacteria, meaning they need an iron source to grow, and unlike most other bacteria, they usually get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/importantly-haemophilus-are-what-are-called-fastidious-bacteria/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Every time a man ejaculates, he uses five milligrams of zinc. Zinc is highly concentrated in both sperm and seminal fluid, and frequent ejaculation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/every-time-a-man-ejaculates-he-uses-five-milligrams-of-zinc-zinc-is/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“When testosterone levels are low, vitamin D potentiates abnormal prostate tissue growth. With sufficient testosterone levels, it promotes normal prostate growth and cellular health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/when-testosterone-levels-are-low-vitamin-d-potentiates-abnormal/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Licorice has highly negative effects on men’s androgen levels and hormonal functioning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/licorice-has-highly-negative-effects-on-men-s-androgen-levels-and/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Black cohosh is highly estrogenic and is often used for normalizing female hormonal levels during menopause and to alleviate menopausal symptoms such as hot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/black-cohosh-is-highly-estrogenic-and-is-often-used-for-normalizing/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop’d. I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/be-not-discouraged-keep-on-there-are-divine-things-well-envelop-d-i/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“licorice is used with some frequency in dark beers to increase head, as a coloring agent, and to sweeten the end product (see Hops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/licorice-is-used-with-some-frequency-in-dark-beers-to-increase-head/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“You must follow the path that opens to you and you must never stop. And it will demand that you shed your skin, over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/you-must-follow-the-path-that-opens-to-you-and-you-must-never-stop/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“A Bulgarian study of 17,862 patients found that honey was effective in improving chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic and allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/a-bulgarian-study-of-17-862-patients-found-that-honey-was-effective/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Continually trying to look on the bright side interferes with our finding the wisdom that lies in the fruitful darkness. Continually striving upward toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/continually-trying-to-look-on-the-bright-side-interferes-with-our/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) > [“Just as there are substances that increase androgen levels and androgenic activity in men, there are also substances that can significantly lower or suppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/just-as-there-are-substances-that-increase-androgen-levels-and/) [Stephen Harrod Buhner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) [Explore all 21 Stephen Harrod Buhner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/) ## 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](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": "“Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those who experience their art, to the metaphysical background of the world, to the imaginal world that lies deep within the physical. That is, in part, its ecological function. And that is why the continuing assaults on the imaginal (and its explorers) are so pervasive, why the schooling of artists—of writers, musicians, painters, sculptors—has become so mechanical, so oriented toward surfaces, toward form. For if we should recapture the response of the heart to what is presented to the senses, go below the surface of sensory inputs to what is held inside them, touch again the “metaphysical background” that expresses them, we would begin to experience, once more, the world as it really is: alive, aware, interactive, communicative, filled with soul, and very, very intelligent—and we, only one tiny part of that vast scenario. And that would endanger the foundations upon which Western culture, our technology—and all reductionist science—is based; for as James Hillman so eloquently put it, “It was only when science convinced us that nature was dead that it could begin its autopsy in earnest.” A living, aware, and soul-filled world does not respond well to autopsy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Harrod Buhner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their-art-and-those-who-experience/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their-art-and-those-who-experience/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4df/stephen-harrod-buhner-27223_art_art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their_211992.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Art—real art—connects artists, and their art, and those who experience their art, to the metaphysical…” — Stephen Harrod Buhner", "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": "Stephen Harrod Buhner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harrod-buhner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Art—real art—connects artists, and their art,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their-art-and-those-who-experience/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harrod-buhner/art-real-art-connects-artists-and-their-art-and-those-who-experience/#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 } } ] } ```