Like most artists who have made an invention of some kind, he tends to overplay the significance of his own and goes on about it as though it were a Rosetta Stone, with whose help all representation can be rescued from one-eyed falsehood.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Artists who invent new things exaggerate their importance like a magic key.
- In plain terms
- New inventors talk like their tool solves all problems.
- What can you take from it?
- Innovators often overstate their contribution.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much do we overvalue new tools?
- When is hype justified?
Another view
Some inventions truly do change everything.
More from Robert Hughes
The hallmark of the minor artist is to be obsessed with style as an end in itself.
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