All works of art are commissioned in the sense that no artist can create one by a simple act of will but must wait until what he believes to be a good idea for a work comes to him. W. H. Auden
In every work of art the subject is primordial, whether the artist knows it or not. The measure of the formal qualities is only a sign of the measure of the artist's obsession with his subject the form is always in proportion to the obsession. Alberto Giacometti
To know how to suggest is the great art of teaching. To attain it we must be able to guess what will interest we must learn to read the childish soul as we might a piece of music. Then, by simply changing the key, we keep up the attraction and vary the song. Henri Frederic Amiel
In fact, in many ways my mother was quite hippy-dippy, serving macrobiotic food and reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.' Kristin Scott Thomas
Another unsettling element in modern art is that common symptom of immaturity, the dread of doing what has been done before. Edith Wharton
Art is the signature of civilizations. Beverly Sills
Although all the good arts serve to draw man's mind away from vices and lead it toward better things, this function can be more fully performed by this art, which also provides extraordinary intellectual pleasure. Nicolaus Copernicus
The details are the very source of expression in architecture. But we are caught in a vice between art and the bottom line. Arthur Erickson
Surrealism: An archaic term. Formerly an art movement. No longer distinguishable from everyday life. Brad Holland
I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me. Maya Lin
Life is very nice, but it lacks form. It's the aim of art to give it some. Jean Anouilh
I'm very happy to hear that my work inspires writers and painters. It's the most beautiful compliment, the greatest reward. Art should always be an exchange. Nick Cave
Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary. Boris Pasternak
Raising children is a creative endeavor, an art rather than a science. Bruno Bettelheim
The whole aspect of cinema and film festivals should be a moment to come together and celebrate art and humanity. It would be a shame if there was such a divide. Keanu Reeves
The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups. Henry Hazlitt
All art is exorcism. I paint dreams and visions too the dreams and visions of my time. Painting is the effort to produce order order in yourself. There is much chaos in me, much chaos in our time. Otto Dix
Shadows sometimes people don't see shadows. The Chinese of course never paint them in pictures, oriental art never deals with shadow. But I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny. David Hockney
Success and the art of making music are two different things for me. Norah Jones