Tags
art, inspiration, mystery, quotations, William Steig, wonder
Quote of the Week
“Art has the power to make any spot on earth the living center of the universe; and unlike science, which often gives us the illusion of understanding things we really don’t understand, it helps us to know life in a way that keeps before us the mystery of things.
It enhances the sense of wonder. And wonder is respect for life.”
—William Steig. author and illustrator of award winning children’s book, including The Magic Pebble, for which he won a Caldecott Medal in 1970. This quote is from his acceptance speech.
More on Art and the Mystery in the Midst of Things
“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.” -Rene Magritte.
“The artist’s function is to love the enigma. All art is this: love which has been poured out over enigmas – and all works of art are enigmas surrounded and adorned by love.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” -Francis Bacon
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; It is the source of all true art and science.” – Albert Einstein
Discover more from Deborah J. Brasket, Author
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As best I can tell, here’s a fuller version of Einstein: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.”
That seems to come from the book Living Philosophies.
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That’s wonderful! Thank you for the full quote , Steve.
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Love this, Deborah! What a marvelous quote by Steig. “The Magic Pebble” was one of my favorite books as a child. Thanks for bringing it to mind!
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I’m so glad, Camilla! Thank you for sharing that.
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