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Quote by Robert Hughes

“When the war (WWI) finally ended it was necessary for both sides to maintain, indeed even to inflate, the myth of sacrifice so that the whole affair would not be seen for what it was: a meaningless waste of millions of lives. Logically, if the flower of youth had been cut down in Flanders, the survivors were not the flower: the dead were superior to the traumatized living. In this way, the virtual destruction of a generation further increased the distance between the old and the young, between the official and the unofficial.”

Quote by Robert Hughes

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Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes

Robert Hughes (July 28, 1938 – August 6, 2012) was an Australian-born art critic, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He served as the art critic for Time magazine from 1971 to 2001, known for his sharp, passionate, and insightful commentary. Hughes authored influential books such as 'The Shock of the New,' which explored modern art history. His work often intertwined art with social and political contexts, making him one of the most prominent art critics of the 20th century. more

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“Nevertheless, what was made in the hope of transforming the world need not be rejected because it failed to do so – otherwise, one would also have to throw out a good deal of the greatest painting and poetry of the nineteenth century. An objective political failure can still work as a model of intellectual affirmation or dissent.”

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“Most of the time they buy what other people buy. They move in great schools, like bluefish, all identical. There is safety in numbers. If one wants Schnabel, they all want Schnabel, if one buys a Keith Haring, two hundred Keith Harings will be sold.”

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Book:The Spectacle of Skill: New and Selected Writings of Robert Hughes
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