The artist must be in his work as God is in creation, invisible and all-powerful; one must sense him everywhere but never see him.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The creator should influence the work profoundly without being visibly present, allowing the work to stand on its own while conveying their power.
- In plain terms
- An artist's presence should be felt everywhere in their work even if they are not seen.
- What can you take from it?
- Let your work speak for itself without forcing your personality into every detail.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much of yourself should appear in your work?
- Can a work be powerful without a visible creator?
Another view
Some forms of art benefit from overt authorial presence rather than invisibility.
More from Gustave Flaubert
Everything one invents is true, you may be perfectly sure of that. Poetry is as precise as geometry.
Permalink to quote #7 Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live.
Permalink to quote #9 You can calculate the worth of a man by the number of his enemies, and the importance of a work of art by the harm that is spoken of it.
Permalink to quote #6
Related quotes
Art begins with resistance - at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.
Andre GideAndre Gide quote #7 He that works and does some Poem, not he that merely says one, is worthy of the name of Poet.
Thomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle quote #7 My concern is with the rhythms of nature... I work inside out, like nature.
Jackson PollockJackson Pollock quote #8