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Quote by Mervyn Peake

“But his mind saw nothing of all this. His mind was engaged in a warfare of the gods. His mind paced outwards over no-man's-land, over the fields of the slain, paced to the rhythm of the blood's red bugles. To be alone and evil! To be a god at bay. What was more absolute?”

Book:Gormenghast

Work

Gormenghast

Evelyn Waugh's 'Gormenghast' is a dark, satirical novel that delves into the life of the mysterious and reclusive Count of Gormenghast and his descendants. The story is narrated by Steerpike, a young man who becomes entangled in the castle's intricate web of politics and intrigue. The novel is renowned for its complex structure, elaborate language, and its portrayal of a world that is both fantastical and deeply rooted in the human condition. more

Author

Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake was a British writer renowned for his imaginative and distinctive works. He is most celebrated for his Gormenghast series, a blend of fantasy, satire, and horror that has become a cornerstone of modern fantasy literature. Peake's writing is characterized by its vivid descriptions and complex characters. more

“When Van Gogh was a young man in his early twenties, he was in London studying to be a clergyman. He had no thought of being an artist at all. he sat in his cheap little room writing a letter to his younger brother in Holland, whom he loved very much. He looked out his window at a watery twilight, a thin lampost, a star, and he said in his letter something like this: "it is so beautiful I must show you how it looks." And then on his cheap ruled note paper, he made the most beautiful, tender, little drawing of it. When I read this letter of Van Gogh's it comforted me very much and seemed to throw a clear light on the whole road of Art. Before, I thought that to produce a work of painting or literature, you scowled and thought long and ponderously and weighed everything solemnly and learned everything that all artists had ever done aforetime, and what their influences and schools were, and you were extremely careful about *design* and *balance* and getting *interesting planes* into your painting, and avoided, with the most astringent severity, showing the faintest *acedemical* tendency, and were strictly modern. And so on and so on. But the moment I read Van Gogh's letter I knew what art was, and the creative impulse. It is a feeling of love and enthusiasm for something, and in a direct, simple, passionate and true way, you try to show this beauty in things to others, by drawing it. And Van Gogh's little drawing on the cheap note paper was a work of art because he loved the sky and the frail lamppost against it so seriously that he made the drawing with the most exquisite conscientiousness and care.”

Art Simplicity Drawing Van Gogh Creative Impulse

Book:If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

Source: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”

Art Expression Photography Self Expression

Author:Ansel Adams

“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.”

Art Expectations Wit Hoid

Book:Words of Radiance

Source: Words of Radiance

“I can only imagine how happy life would be if we could stay so grounded in our faith that we would never waver in our positive attitudes.”