Wednesday, August 7, 2019

"The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world."

[A]ll artists are dedicated to an eternal struggle against the downward tendency of their own method and medium. For this reason they must sometimes be fresh; but there is no reason why they should not also be modest. There is nothing to brag about in the mere fact that your only mode of expression is perpetually going to the dogs.  The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation, but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep.
-May 21, 1927, Illustrated London News