"The biggest problem with every art is by the use of appearance to create a loftier reality"
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
About this Quote
This quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe speaks with the difficulty of creating art that is both visually pleasing and significant. He suggests that the biggest problem with art is that it frequently depends on appearances to create a more raised truth. This suggests that art can be shallow and lack compound. He is suggesting that art must make every effort to be more than just aesthetically pleasing, however need to also have a much deeper significance or purpose. This might be translated as a call for artists to create works that are meaningful and thought-provoking, instead of merely counting on looks to produce an incorrect sense of grandeur. Eventually, Goethe is motivating artists to produce works that are meaningful and have a long lasting effect, instead of simply relying on looks to produce an incorrect sense of magnificence.