David Batchelor quotes

“Colour is uncontainable. It effortlessly reveals the limits of language and evades our best attempts to impose a rational order on it To work with colour is to become acutely aware of the insufficiency of language and theory – which is both disturbing and pleasurable.”
-- David Batchelor

Source : Gary Hume, Adrian Searle, David Batchelor, British Council (1999). “Gary Hume: British Pavilion, XLVIII Venice Biennale, 13 June-7 Novermer 1999”

#Order Quotes #Limits Quotes #Language Quotes

“Chromophobia is perhaps only chromophilia without the colour.”
-- David Batchelor

Source : David Batchelor (2000). “Chromophobia”, p.71, Reaktion Books

#Colour Quotes

“I often use colour to attack form, to break it down a little or begin to dissolve it. But I am not at all interested in 'pure' colour or in colour as a transcendental presence... So if I use colours to begin to dissolve forms, I also use forms to prevent colours becoming entirely detached from their everyday existence.”
-- David Batchelor

#Everyday Quotes #Use Quotes #Littles Quotes

“Certain materials suggest ideas and ways of working.”
-- David Batchelor

#Ideas Quotes #Way Quotes #Certain Quotes

“The materials I use are absolutely essential to the work I make.”
-- David Batchelor

#Essentials Quotes #Use Quotes #Materials Quotes

“I must stress here the point that I appreciate clarity, order, meaning, structure, rationality: they are necessary to whatever provisional stability we have, and they can be the agents of gradual and successful change.”

“In order to be universal, you have to be rooted in your own culture.”

“Film is very much a universal and common voice, and we can't limit it to one particular culture.”

Source : Interview with Geoff Andrew, www.theguardian.com. April 28, 2005.

“The absolutely Non-Manifested cannot be designated by any expression which could limit It, Separate It, or include It. In spite of this, every allusion alludes only to Him, every designation designates Him, and He is at the same time the Non-Manifested and the Manifested.”

“Kinds hearts are here; yet would the tenderest one Have limits to its mercy; God has none.”

Source : Adelaide Anne Procter, Varla Ventura (2012). “The Ghost in the Picture Room: Paranormal Parlor, A Weiser Books Collection”, p.16, Weiser Books

“We set ourselves limits, but we are all strong enough to aim higher, to achieve our goals. All we have to do is find such strength within ourselves. Know how to develop it.”

“One of the great triumphs of the nineteenth century was to limit the connotation of the word "immoral" in such a way that, for practical purposes, only those were immoral who drank too much or made too copious love. Those who indulged in any or all of the other deadly sins could look down in righteous indignation on the lascivious and the gluttonous.... In the name of all lechers and boozers I most solemnly protest against the invidious distinction made to our prejudice.”

“There are contingency plans in the NATO doctrine to fire a nuclear weapon for demonstrative purposes, to demonstrate to the other side that they are exceeding the limits of toleration in the conventional area.”

“I want to go beyond the restrictions of language, religion and caste, and music is the only thing that allows me to do that.”

“When language is treated beautifully and interestingly, it can feel good for the body: It's nourishing; it's rejuvenating.”