how to proceed in the arts

“13. Youth wants to burn the museums. We are in them – now what? Better destroy the odors of the zoo. How can we paint the elephants and hippopotamuses? Embrace the Bourgeoisie. One hundred years of grinding out teeth have made us tired. How are we to fill the large empty canvas and the end of the large empty loft? You do have a loft, don’t you, man?”

(Frank O’Hara & Larry Rivers, “How to Proceed in the Arts” (formatted dreadfully, that link), written 1952, published 1961)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *