Artistic Opposition Quotes

I'm an old guy, and I was protesting during the Vietnam War. We killed fifty Asians for every loyal American. Every artist worth a damn in this country was terribly opposed to that war, finally, when it became evident what a fiasco and meaningless butchery it was. We formed sort of a laser beam of protest. Every painter, every writer, every stand-up comedian, every composer, every novelist, every poet aimed in the same direction. Afterwards, the power of this incredible new weapon dissipated.

Art is a divine thing. It can only be rightly expressed if opposed, to bring out its inner beauty that lies behind.

I feel that America is essentially against the artist, that the enemy of America is the artist, because he stands for individuality and creativeness, and that's un-American somehow.

I am against the notion of style in itself.

An artist who opposes himself still has the best chances to reach some result.

One task of literature is to formulate questions and construct counterstatements to the reigning pieties. And even when art is not oppositional, the arts gravitate toward contrariness. Literature is dialogue: responsiveness. Literature might be described as the history of human responsiveness to what is alive and what is moribund as cultures evolve and interact with one another.

To retain his dignity, an artist must live in opposition. He must be critical of his country. If not, then he is worthless.

Margaret Thatcher was very good for the arts in so far as it gave people a real focus for something to be against.

Art is the social antithesis of society, not directly deducible from it.