--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great…" description: "\"Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa Yutaka as artists who liv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/yasumasa-morimura-27200_age_leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great_2343910.jpg" --- # Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he… ![“Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa Yutaka as artists who live in the past. Their ideas are still alive in our world because they express the very important concerns of our age. That is why I could trust them…” quote by Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/yasumasa-morimura-27200_age_leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great_2343910.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/yasumasa-morimura-27200_age_leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great_2343910.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/yasumasa-morimura-27200_age_leonard-de-vinci-for-example-is-a-great_2343910.jpg) > “Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa Yutaka as artists who live in the past. Their ideas are still alive in our world because they express the very important concerns of our age. That is why I could trust them as "contemporary artists".” [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Past artistic fame fades, but ideas that address current concerns stay relevant. **In simple terms:** Artists whose work tackles today’s issues remain contemporary. Key Takeaway Seek creators whose themes match modern challenges. Themes art contemporary relevance ideas Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical interpretive When to use this quote - museum curation - art education - public discourse - curatorial decisions Key Concepts cultural critique timeless relevance Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate whether an artist’s work is truly of of its time? - What criteria make an artist “contemporary”? A Different Perspective Some may argue that any artist can be reinterpreted as contemporary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Contemporary art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-art/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Great artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artist/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Living in the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-in-the-past/) [Our world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-world/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [The artists could be dead, but some of them are not so distant from us, and make us feel as if they are alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/the-artists-could-be-dead-but-some-of-them-are-not-so-distant-from-us/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I've never been at odds with the world of contemporary artists. If there is any animosity, it's one-sided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/i-ve-never-been-at-odds-with-the-world-of-contemporary-artists-if/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [The artistic formulae wear thin quickly and yet daily the artist - when developing his own foundation - must enter his own time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-artistic-formulae-wear-thin-quickly-and-yet-daily-the-artist-when/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [Most contemporary artists are behind the bubble in time. They're making videos that are so incredibly boring compared to a good movie. Or they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/most-contemporary-artists-are-behind-the-bubble-in-time-they-re/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [All great contemporary artists, schooled or not, are essentially self-taught and are de-skilling like crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/all-great-contemporary-artists-schooled-or-not-are-essentially-self/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The number of contemporary artists who appeal to me is infinitesimal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lowe/the-number-of-contemporary-artists-who-appeal-to-me-is-infinitesimal/) [Nick Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lowe/) > [“A great many contemporary artists from hugely diverse backgrounds are currently approaching the prospect of cultural mixing...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-many-contemporary-artists-from-hugely-diverse-backgrounds-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Pipilotti Rist is a Swiss video artist I learned about pretty early on. She's one of the first contemporary artists I knew about and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-syms/pipilotti-rist-is-a-swiss-video-artist-i-learned-about-pretty-early/) [Martine Syms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-syms/) > [Some comic artists I've known are better than most contemporary artists with work hanging in Tate Modern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/some-comic-artists-i-ve-known-are-better-than-most-contemporary/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [“You have your whole life ahead of you," my mother told me, "don't spend all your time in the past." It's good advice, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-galloway/you-have-your-whole-life-ahead-of-you-my-mother-told-me-don-t-spend/) [Gregory Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-galloway/) > [All the political parties alike have their origins in past ideas and not in new ideas and none more conspicuously so than the Marxists .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/all-the-political-parties-alike-have-their-origins-in-past-ideas-and/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [If you're using your imagination, you tend to look into the past for ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/if-you-re-using-your-imagination-you-tend-to-look-into-the-past-for/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Being an artist for my well being and as a living, I live in a place of observance and interest in what I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-boyd/being-an-artist-for-my-well-being-and-as-a-living-i-live-in-a-place/) [Brandon Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-boyd/) ## More by Yasumasa Morimura > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Even Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were entertainers. In that way, I am an entertainer and want to make art that is fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/even-michelangelo-and-leonardo-da-vinci-were-entertainers-in-that-way/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [ I planned the exhibition so that it becomes a story where the viewer travels through these islands \[of ideas\]. Whether the contents of each… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-planned-the-exhibition-so-that-it-becomes-a-story-where-the-viewer/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I have always thought that it would be nice to not complete the exhibition in one place and close off the others as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-have-always-thought-that-it-would-be-nice-to-not-complete-the/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury raised cautions against mass media, especially the television, which dumb down human sensibilities and coerce everybody's thoughts into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/in-fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury-raised-cautions-against-mass-media/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [The artists could be dead, but some of them are not so distant from us, and make us feel as if they are alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/the-artists-could-be-dead-but-some-of-them-are-not-so-distant-from-us/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Of course, the process of curating is different from art making. Exhibition-making is a process that involves collaboration with various participating artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/of-course-the-process-of-curating-is-different-from-art-making/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Of course, I, like the sponsoring government, would like to have as many people as possible visit Yokohama Triennale. This is because I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/of-course-i-like-the-sponsoring-government-would-like-to-have-as-many/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [To think about "oblivion" is to think about "what art is".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/to-think-about-oblivion-is-to-think-about-what-art-is/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I was worried that I, the artist Morimura, would have conflicts with the participating artists and develop a strenuous relationship with them. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-was-worried-that-i-the-artist-morimura-would-have-conflicts-with/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > ["Triennale in the City" is a scheme that is of priority for the sponsoring local government. For many local governments, revitalization is an important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/triennale-in-the-city-is-a-scheme-that-is-of-priority-for-the/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [I put priority on such artists who focus on the world of "oblivion" and who consider placing themselves into the world of "oblivion" as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/i-put-priority-on-such-artists-who-focus-on-the-world-of-oblivion-and/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Art is basically entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/art-is-basically-entertainment/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > ["Art is the ability to turn one's gaze to the world of oblivion." This is the way in which I understand art at fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/art-is-the-ability-to-turn-one-s-gaze-to-the-world-of-oblivion-this/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [By putting a border line between life and death, we separate the world of death from our world of life, casting the dead away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/by-putting-a-border-line-between-life-and-death-we-separate-the-world/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) [Explore all 21 Yasumasa Morimura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Leonard de Vinci, for example, is a great artist, but he is living in the past. However, I don't feel John Cage and Matsuzawa Yutaka as artists who live in the past. Their ideas are still alive in our world because they express the very important concerns of our age. 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