“A work of art is never finished. It is merely abandoned.”

— E.M. Forster

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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E.M. Forster 200

English novelist 1879–1970

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“The complete and definitive work of art is created beyond one's individuality... The universal transcends such a level. Mere spontaneity has never created a work of art which possesses a lasting cultural value. The method leading to universal form is based upon calculations of measure and number.”

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“I don't like that word 'finish'. When something is finished, that means it's dead, doesn't it? I believe in everlastingness. I never finish a painting – I just stop working on it for a while. I like painting because it's something I never come to the end of. Sometimes I paint a picture, then I paint it all out. Sometimes I'm working on fifteen or twenty pictures at the same time. I do that because I want to – because I like to change my mind so often. The thing to do is always to keep starting to paint, never finishing painting.”

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quote of 1948
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“Nature is never finished.”

Robert Smithson (1938–1973) American artist

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