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Nonconformity is the basic pre-condition of art, as it is the pre-condition of good thinking and therefore of growth and greatness in a people. The degree of nonconformity present-and tolerated-in a society might be looked upon as a symptom of its state of health.

— Ben Shahn Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (1956)

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More quotes by Ben Shahn

Conformity is a mood and an atmosphere, a failure of hope or belief or rebellion.

Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (1956)

Every artist would like to communicate, but often he fails to ask himself with whom he is trying to do it.

Conversation about "The Image (1962)

I think that it can be said with certainty that the form which does emerge cannot be greater than the content which went into it. For form is only the manifestation, the shape of content.

Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (1956)

Whoever would know his day or would capture its essential character must maintain such a degree of detachment.

Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (1956)

There are, roughly, about three conditions that seem to be basic in the artist's equipment: to be cultured, to be educated, and to be integrated.

Charles Eliot Norton Lectures (1956)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Ben Shahn (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.