“The artist is lonesome and admits his solitude.”
Elfriede Jelinek book The Piano Teacher
P 24
The Piano Teacher (1988)
Source: Querelle of Brest
“The artist is lonesome and admits his solitude.”
Elfriede Jelinek book The Piano Teacher
P 24
The Piano Teacher (1988)
“Solitude is a way to defend the spirit against the murderous din of our materialism.”
Thomas Merton (1915–1968) Priest and author
“Nothing can be accomplished without solitude; I have made a kind of solitude for myself.”
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer
Quote in "Picasso", Hans L. C. Jaffe, Thames and Hudson Ltd
Attributed from posthumous publications
Charles Bukowski book Factotum
Source: Factotum (1975), Ch. 17
Context: I got into bed, opened the bottle, worked the pillow into a hard knot behind my back, took a deep breath, and sat in the dark looking out of the window. It was the first time I had been alone for five days. I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water. Each day without solitude weakened me. I took no pride in my solitude; but I was dependent on it. The darkness of the room was like sunlight to me. I took a drink of wine.
“The highest form of love is to be the protector of another person’s solitude.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) Austrian poet and writer
“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
Brad Bird (1957) American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor
"Anton Ego" in Ratatouille (2007)
Context: In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook". But I realize — only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.
John of the Cross (1542–1591) Spanish mystic and Roman Catholic saint
Spiritual Canticle of The Soul and The Bridegroom
André Maurois (1885–1967) French writer
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Working