All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.

Oscar Wilde
About This Quote

All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. A quote from John Ruskin, a 19th century English art critic, this quote suggests that art is not merely the expression of an inner vision but something that is more visceral. It suggests that artwork is more than just a representation of an idea or feeling, but something that brings the artist to life in some way.

Source: The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something. - Rainbow Rowell

  2. It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done. - Vincent Van Gogh

  3. Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep. - Clive Barker

  4. Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you. - Chuck Klosterman

  5. There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. - Vincent Van Gogh

More Quotes By Oscar Wilde
  1. Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary.

  2. The heart was made to be broken.

  3. The very essence of romance is uncertainty.

  4. To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

  5. Who, being loved, is poor?

Related Topics