Guillaume Apollinaire Quotes

A collection of quotes by Guillaume Apollinaire.

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) was a prominent French poet, critic, and art critic. Born as Wilhelm Albert WÅ‚odzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki in Italy to a Polish mother and an Italian father, Apollinaire went on to become a leading figure in the avant-garde literary and artistic movements of the early 20th century.

Apollinaire moved to Paris in 1901 and immersed himself in the vibrant artistic community of the city. He contributed to various literary journals and quickly gained a reputation for his innovative and experimental poetry. His works, such as "Alcools" (1913) and "Calligrammes" (1918), embraced new poetic techniques, including free verse, visual poetry, and abstract imagery.

Beyond his poetry, Apollinaire played a crucial role in promoting and championing the works of emerging artists of the time. He was an avid art critic, introducing and supporting the works of painters like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Marcel Duchamp, among others. His critical writings, collected in "The Cubist Painters" (1913), helped shape the understanding and appreciation of modern art.

During World War I, Apollinaire enlisted in the French army. However, he suffered a severe head wound in 1916 and was discharged. Tragically, he succumbed to the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, at the age of 38. Despite his short life, Guillaume Apollinaire's contributions to literature and art continue to be celebrated, and he remains an influential figure in the history of modern poetry and criticism.

Come to the edge, He said. They said, We are afraid. Come to

Come to the edge, He said. They said, We are afraid. Come to the edge, He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire


Now you are walking in Paris all alone in the crowdAs herds

Now you are walking in Paris all alone in the crowdAs herds of bellowing buses drive byLove's anguish tightens your throatAs if you were never to be loved againIf you lived in the old days you would enter a monasteryYou are ashamed when you discover yourself reciting a prayerYou make fun of yourself and like the fire of Hell your laughter cracklesThe sparks of your laugh gild the depths of your lifeIt's a painting hanging in a dark museumAnd sometimes you go and look at it close up

Guillaume Apollinaire

Love Prayer Laughter City Paris Painting Crowd Anguish Laughing Praying Monastery Museum

Puces, amis, amantes même,Qu'ils sont cruels ceux qui nous

Puces, amis, amantes même,Qu'ils sont cruels ceux qui nous aiment!Tout notre sang coule pour eux.Les bien-aimés sont malheureux.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Love Poems Fleas

A structure becomes architectural, and not sculptural, when

A structure becomes architectural, and not sculptural, when its elements no longer have their justification in nature.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Architecture

Without poets, without artists, men would soon weary of natu

Without poets, without artists, men would soon weary of nature's monotony. The sublime idea men have of the universe would collapse with dizzying speed. The order which we find in nature, and which is only an effect of art, would at once vanish. Everything would break up in chaos. There would be no seasons, no civilization, no thought, no humanity; even life would give way, and the impotent void would reign everywhere.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Art

To insist on purity is to baptize instinct, to humanize art,

To insist on purity is to baptize instinct, to humanize art, and to deify personality.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Purity

The plastic virtues: purity, unity, and truth, keep nature i

The plastic virtues: purity, unity, and truth, keep nature in subjection.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Nature

Artists are, above all, men who want to become inhuman.

Artists are, above all, men who want to become inhuman.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Art

I love men, not for what unites them, but for what divides t

I love men, not for what unites them, but for what divides them, and I want to know most of all what gnaws at their hearts.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Humanity

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Good