Definitions HQ

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a glorifier of the religious and philosophical errors of mankind.

The Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠feeling of freedom, subtlety, fullness of power, creative placing, disposing, shaping reaches its height.

The Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not merely one whose imagination creatively produces, but also one whose judgment selects, rejects, sifts, transforms, and orders.

The Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠always a great worker when he is a great artist.

The Artist (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠given men eyes and ears to see and hear with some pleasure what each man is himself, experiences himself, desires himself... only he has taught us to esteem the hero that is concealed in everyday characters.

The Artist (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠taught us the art of viewing ourselves as heroes from a distance and, as it were, he has simplified and transfigured the art of staging and watching ourselves.

The Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a night-walker by day.

Artist (n.) alone ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠hate the sluggish promenade in borrowed opinions; they reveal everyone's secret bad conscience, the law that every man is a unique miracle — and that, strictly consistent in uniqueness, he is beautiful.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠related to the lovers of his art as a heavy cannon to a flock of sparrows — an avalanche started to sweep away a little snow, a man struck dead to kill a fly on his nose.

Artist (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠behold within themselves only the old figures behind them may serve history but not life: they are dead while still breathing.

An Artist (n.) creates ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the dream and may feel himself the only one awake among confused sleepers — or as one condemned to a protracted sleeplessness among sleepwalkers of spectral earnestness, to whom the everyday looks uncanny.

Artist (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the future (n.) is a homeless wanderer who must speak to a world he despises and cannot do without; unlike the philosopher he cannot hunt knowledge alone in a corner — art wants performers as transmitters, not letters and notes.

Artist (n.) are ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not men of great passion but pretend to be; deep-rooted passion that consumes a man is never described in dramas — it is always Achilles who lives it and Homer who writes it.

The Artist (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠today unchains the will; earlier ones were tamers of the will, transformers of animals, creators of men — the modern poet is at best the ruins of a temple, a cave of desires haunted by snakes.

The Artist (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is good fishes out the blissful moment every way of life has — Chopin's Barcarole finds it even in a tedious life beside a noisy beach, so that the gods themselves could long to spend summer evenings lying in a boat.

An Artist (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never what he represents: Homer would not have created an Achilles, nor Goethe a Faust, had Homer been an Achilles or Goethe a Faust.

An Artist (n.) should ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never be measured by the standard of his works — they are exceptions, floodtides driven high for once by a storm.

An Artist (n.) should ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠see nothing as it is, but fuller, simpler, stronger — and for that his life needs a kind of youth and spring, a habitual intoxication.

An Artist (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠began to understand himself would misunderstand himself: he ought not to look back, not to look at all — he ought to give.

An Artist (n.) belongs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to a stronger race: what would be morbid in us is nature in him — he need not atone for his good periods, since he can squander without becoming poor.