"In art, theories are as useful as a doctor's prescription; one must be sick to believe them"

Maurice de Vlaminck, an influential French painter associated with the Fauves, expresses a provocative skepticism about the role of theory in the creation and appreciation of art. He likens theories to a doctor's prescription, suggesting that they are remedies intended for those afflicted by some ailment. In the context of art, this affliction could be interpreted as a lack of inspiration, creativity, or authenticity. To require theory in order to make or understand art implies, in Vlaminck’s view, a kind of impoverishment, a weakness or incapacity to experience art directly, intuitively, or viscerally.

Vlaminck’s statement challenges the value and necessity of intellectual frameworks that are often constructed around artistic movements, styles, and individual works. Instead of relying on rules, doctrines, or critical analysis, he advocates for art to be approached and generated from a place of instinct, emotion, and spontaneity. The suggestion is that when artists or viewers turn to theories for guidance, they may be distancing themselves from the genuine, raw engagement with creative expression. It is as if the use of theories creates a barrier, replacing direct perception with secondhand interpretation, thereby diluting the power and immediacy of the artistic experience.

This perspective positions theory as a crutch rather than a foundation. Instead of guiding artists toward originality or deeper insight, theories risk constraining and predetermining artistic possibilities, encouraging conformity to established patterns rather than the pursuit of new forms or ideas. Vlaminck’s analogy implies that true artists, those who are healthy, so to speak, do not depend on prescribed doctrines. They trust their own senses and instincts, following inner compasses rather than external directions. Art becomes, in this light, a living, breathing act of discovery, one that thrives in disorder, uncertainty, and risk rather than in the secure scaffolding of theoretical certainty.