“Were art to redeem man, it could do so only by saving him from the seriousness of life and restoring him to an unexpected boyishness.”

—  José Ortega Y Gasset

"Art a Thing of No Consequence"
The Dehumanization of Art and Ideas about the Novel (1925)
Context: Were art to redeem man, it could do so only by saving him from the seriousness of life and restoring him to an unexpected boyishness. The symbol of art is seen again in the magic flute of the Great God Pan which makes the young goats frisk at the edge of the grove.
All modern art begins to appear comprehensible and in a way great when it is interpreted as an attempt to instill youthfulness into an ancient world.

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José Ortega Y Gasset 85
Spanish liberal philosopher and essayist 1883–1955

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