"A unique aspect of art is that it represents the purpose of what one lives for. It represents the 'point' of life."

 

"Every civilisation has had artworks, including buildings, that represent that country's values. A unique aspect of art is that it represents the purpose of what one lives for. It represents the 'point' of life. In a similar way, the art* in major art institutions represent the soul of a culture or civilisation...."

~ artist Michael Newberry, from his 2001 article 'Pandoras Box,' written + published immediately after 9/11, and soon to reappear in his forthcoming book Pandora's Box + Other Essays

* Says he, in 2022: "It is obvious that Marcel Duchamp's Urinal is not part of any development by any standard, yet it was unanimously acclaimed as the most influential visual art work of the 20th century. Let that sink in, I'll wait ... "