Quote by W. H. Auden

All works of art are commissioned in the sense that no artist can create one by a simple act of will but must wait until what he believes to be a good idea for a work comes to him.

All works of art are commissioned in the sense that no artis

Summary

This quote suggests that creating a work of art cannot be forced, but rather, it requires a spark of inspiration that comes to the artist. Even though artists are not necessarily commissioned by an external authority, they are still essentially commissioned by their own imagination and creative spirit. The artist must patiently wait for a "good idea" to arise within them before they can bring it to life through their artistic expression. In this sense, art is influenced by an inner commissioning process rather than an external demand.

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