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Tradition is not, as post-modernists maintain, a library or museum the artist plunders. It is the endless conversation between the living and the dead. Young artists enter into this conversation passionately - not merely intellectually, though study and analysis play a part. They live and breathe it. Tradition is not a public building. It is a love affair.

Dana Gioia#42

ArtConversationHeritageLegacyTradition

About this quote

What does it mean?
Tradition is described as an active dialogue between past and present artists rather than a static collection.
In plain terms
Tradition is a living conversation with the past, not a museum.
What can you take from it?
Engage with tradition actively rather than treating it as a relic.

Where it applies

  • art criticism
  • educational philosophy
  • creative work

Putting it to work

  • studying artistic lineage
  • engaging with classic works

Questions to consider

  • How do you engage with tradition?
  • Is tradition a burden or a resource?

Another view

Some traditions may feel irrelevant to modern artists.

More from Dana Gioia

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  3. Poetry is not a creed or dogma. It is a special way of speaking and listening.

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