“A master-piece … may be unwelcome but it is never dull.”

—  Gertrude Stein

What Are Masterpieces and Why Are There So Few of Them (1936)

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Gertrude Stein photo
Gertrude Stein160
American art collector and experimental writer of novels, p… 1874–1946

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“If you do not remember while you are writing, it may seem confused to others but actually it is clear and eventually that clarity will be clear, that is what a master-piece is, but if you remember while you are writing it will seem clear at the time to any one but the clarity will go out of it that is what a master-piece is not.”

Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) American art collector and experimental writer of novels, poetry and plays

What Are Masterpieces and Why Are There So Few of Them (1936)

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“It is important to distinguish the difficulty of describing and learning a piece of notation from the difficulty of mastering its implications. […] Indeed, the very suggestiveness of a notation may make it seem harder to learn because of the many properties it suggests for exploration.”

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“1. The artist may construct the piece.
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