One of the
criteria of good art is that it deals with contemporary life.
"... whether we want to or not, we belong to our time and we
share in its opinions, preferences and delusions. All artists bear
the imprint of their time but the great artists are those in which
this stamp is most deeply impressed." (80)
Henri Matisse
"And I can think of no more real life than the adventurous one of
living and liking and exclaiming the thing's of one's own time."
(81)
Robert Henri
"This great art is fully rooted in man's life, in our time. It is
also an eloquent refutation of the romantic myth that sees artists
of genius as ahead of, outside of, their time: in actual fact, they
are the first to see that time clearly, they are among the few who
do not lag behind.." (82)
Hans L. C. Jaffe
80. Herschel B. Chipp, Theories of Modern Art, (Berkeley and L.A.,
Cal., University of California Press, 1968)p.p. 136,137
81. Robert Henri, The Art Spirit, (Toronto, Canada, Fitzhenry &
Whiteside Ltd., 1984), p. 172
82. Hans L. C. Jaffe, Pablo Picasso, (N.Y., Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,
1964), p.11
