February 8th, 2010 / 1:48 pm
Power Quote

Yves Tanguy

I believe there is little to gain by exchanging opinions with other artists concerning either the ideology of art or technical methods. Very much alone in my work, I am almost jealous of it. Geography has no bearing on it, nor have the interests of the community in which I work.

-Yves Tanguy, 1954 (via this John Ashbery article)

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10 Comments

  1. Ben Mirov

      I feel that way too

  2. Ben Mirov

      I feel that way too

  3. MoGa

      I almost wrote: “Do you really, Ben?” but then thought, “Yeah, me too. I don’t think the community influences my work.” However, I am interested in artists’ opinions and dialogue and everything else . . .

  4. MoGa

      I almost wrote: “Do you really, Ben?” but then thought, “Yeah, me too. I don’t think the community influences my work.” However, I am interested in artists’ opinions and dialogue and everything else . . .

  5. Paul

      Everything is an invented ideology. Money. Art. Education. We were just born into what one could consider an unfortunate schema. We’re all going to die someday. It matters and yet it doesn’t matter if we share a damn thing with each other.

      At the end of the day, a dollar bill is just a piece of paper with some ink on it.

  6. Paul

      Everything is an invented ideology. Money. Art. Education. We were just born into what one could consider an unfortunate schema. We’re all going to die someday. It matters and yet it doesn’t matter if we share a damn thing with each other.

      At the end of the day, a dollar bill is just a piece of paper with some ink on it.

  7. Amber

      Wonder what he and his wife talked about at dinner, then? Considering their work was remarkably similar…

      That aside, I sort of agree, to the extent that what I’m working on and what’s important to me is not cutting-edge or technically fashionable–and I recoil at the idea of being part of a movement. At the same time, I agree with Molly that it’s interesting to hear what other writers are working on and what sorts of problems they’re working out. I’m sure it has some bearing on me; how could it not?

  8. Amber

      Wonder what he and his wife talked about at dinner, then? Considering their work was remarkably similar…

      That aside, I sort of agree, to the extent that what I’m working on and what’s important to me is not cutting-edge or technically fashionable–and I recoil at the idea of being part of a movement. At the same time, I agree with Molly that it’s interesting to hear what other writers are working on and what sorts of problems they’re working out. I’m sure it has some bearing on me; how could it not?

  9. Kevin

      Yeah, I agree with everyone above. His statement works up to a certain point. One has to seriously doubt that Tanguy worked/lived this way his ENTIRE life. No one (can) work(s) in a vacuum. But yeah, at a certain point, all of that can become 99% unnecessary to furthering one’s work.

  10. Kevin

      Yeah, I agree with everyone above. His statement works up to a certain point. One has to seriously doubt that Tanguy worked/lived this way his ENTIRE life. No one (can) work(s) in a vacuum. But yeah, at a certain point, all of that can become 99% unnecessary to furthering one’s work.