Share
×
Inspirational Quotes
Authors
Professions
Topics
Tags
Quote
I was primarily interested in people, and people in action, so that I did nothing photographically in the sense of doing buildings for their own sake or a still life or anything like that.
Ben Shahn
Share
Change background
T
T
T
Change font
BebasNeueRegular
Arial
Helvetica Neue
Courier New
Times New Roman
Comic Sans MS
Verdana
Impact
ABeeZee
Abel
Abhaya Libre
Abril Fatface
Aclonica
Acme
Actor
Adamina
Advent Pro
Aguafina Script
Akronim
Aladin
Alata
Alatsi
Aldrich
Alef
Alegreya
Alegreya Sans
Alegreya Sans SC
Alegreya SC
Aleo
Alex Brush
Alfa Slab One
Alice
Alike
Alike Angular
Allan
Allerta
Allerta Stencil
Allura
Almarai
Almendra
Almendra Display
Almendra SC
Amarante
Amaranth
Amatic SC
Amethysta
Amiko
Amiri
Amita
Anaheim
Andada
Andika
Angkor
Annie Use Your Telescope
Anonymous Pro
Antic
Antic Didone
Antic Slab
Anton
Arapey
Arbutus
Arbutus Slab
Architects Daughter
Archivo
Archivo Black
Archivo Narrow
Aref Ruqaa
Arima Madurai
Arimo
Arizonia
Armata
Arsenal
Artifika
Arvo
Arya
Asap
Asap Condensed
Asar
Asset
Assistant
Astloch
Asul
Athiti
Atma
Atomic Age
Aubrey
Audiowide
Autour One
Average
Average Sans
Averia Gruesa Libre
Averia Libre
Averia Sans Libre
Averia Serif Libre
B612
B612 Mono
Bad Script
Bahiana
Bahianita
Bai Jamjuree
Baloo
Baloo Bhai
Baloo Bhaijaan
Baloo Bhaina
Baloo Chettan
Baloo Da
Baloo Paaji
Baloo Tamma
Baloo Tammudu
Baloo Thambi
Balthazar
Bangers
Barlow
Barlow Condensed
Barlow Semi Condensed
Barriecito
Barrio
Basic
Baskervville
Battambang
Baumans
Bayon
Be Vietnam
Bebas Neue
Belgrano
Bellefair
Belleza
BenchNine
Bentham
Berkshire Swash
Beth Ellen
Bevan
Big Shoulders Display
Big Shoulders Text
Bigelow Rules
Bigshot One
Bilbo
Bilbo Swash Caps
BioRhyme
BioRhyme Expanded
Biryani
Bitter
Black And White Picture
Black Han Sans
Black Ops One
Blinker
Bokor
Bonbon
Boogaloo
Bowlby One
Bowlby One SC
Brawler
Bree Serif
Bubblegum Sans
Bubbler One
Buda
Buenard
Bungee
Bungee Hairline
Bungee Inline
Bungee Outline
Bungee Shade
Butcherman
Butterfly Kids
Cabin
Cabin Condensed
Cabin Sketch
Caesar Dressing
Cagliostro
Cairo
Calistoga
Calligraffitti
Cambay
Cambo
Candal
Cantarell
Cantata One
Cantora One
Capriola
Cardo
Carme
Carrois Gothic
Carrois Gothic SC
Carter One
Catamaran
Caudex
Caveat
Caveat Brush
Cedarville Cursive
Ceviche One
Chakra Petch
Changa
Changa One
Chango
Charm
Charmonman
Chathura
Chau Philomene One
Chela One
Chelsea Market
Chenla
Cherry Cream Soda
Cherry Swash
Chewy
Chicle
Chilanka
Chivo
Chonburi
Cinzel
Cinzel Decorative
Clicker Script
Coda
Coda Caption
Codystar
Coiny
Combo
Comfortaa
Coming Soon
Concert One
Condiment
Content
Contrail One
Convergence
Cookie
Copse
Corben
Cormorant
Cormorant Garamond
Cormorant Infant
Cormorant SC
Cormorant Unicase
Cormorant Upright
Courgette
Courier Prime
Cousine
Coustard
Covered By Your Grace
Crafty Girls
Creepster
Crete Round
Crimson Pro
Crimson Text
Croissant One
Crushed
Cuprum
Cute Font
Cutive
Cutive Mono
Damion
Dancing Script
Dangrek
Darker Grotesque
David Libre
Dawning of a New Day
Days One
Dekko
Delius
Delius Swash Caps
Delius Unicase
Della Respira
Denk One
Devonshire
Dhurjati
Didact Gothic
Diplomata
Diplomata SC
DM Sans
DM Serif Display
DM Serif Text
Do Hyeon
Dokdo
Domine
Donegal One
Doppio One
Dorsa
Dosis
Dr Sugiyama
Duru Sans
Dynalight
Eagle Lake
East Sea Dokdo
Eater
EB Garamond
Economica
Eczar
El Messiri
Electrolize
Elsie
Elsie Swash Caps
Emblema One
Emilys Candy
Encode Sans
Encode Sans Condensed
Encode Sans Expanded
Encode Sans Semi Condensed
Encode Sans Semi Expanded
Engagement
Englebert
Enriqueta
Erica One
Esteban
Euphoria Script
Ewert
Exo
Exo 2
Expletus Sans
Fahkwang
Fanwood Text
Farro
Farsan
Fascinate
Fascinate Inline
Faster One
Fasthand
Fauna One
Faustina
Federant
Federo
Felipa
Fenix
Finger Paint
Fira Code
Fira Mono
Fira Sans
Fira Sans Condensed
Fira Sans Extra Condensed
Fjalla One
Fjord One
Flamenco
Flavors
Fondamento
Fontdiner Swanky
Forum
Francois One
Frank Ruhl Libre
Freckle Face
Fredericka the Great
Fredoka One
Freehand
Fresca
Frijole
Fruktur
Fugaz One
Gabriela
Gaegu
Gafata
Galada
Galdeano
Galindo
Gamja Flower
Gayathri
Gelasio
Gentium Basic
Gentium Book Basic
Geo
Geostar
Geostar Fill
Germania One
GFS Didot
GFS Neohellenic
Gidugu
Gilda Display
Girassol
Give You Glory
Glass Antiqua
Glegoo
Gloria Hallelujah
Goblin One
Gochi Hand
Gorditas
Gothic A1
Goudy Bookletter 1911
Graduate
Grand Hotel
Gravitas One
Great Vibes
Grenze
Griffy
Gruppo
Gudea
Gugi
Gupter
Gurajada
Habibi
Halant
Hammersmith One
Hanalei
Hanalei Fill
Handlee
Hanuman
Happy Monkey
Harmattan
Headland One
Heebo
Henny Penny
Hepta Slab
Herr Von Muellerhoff
Hi Melody
Hind
Hind Guntur
Hind Madurai
Hind Siliguri
Hind Vadodara
Holtwood One SC
Homemade Apple
Homenaje
Ibarra Real Nova
IBM Plex Mono
IBM Plex Sans
IBM Plex Sans Condensed
IBM Plex Serif
Iceberg
Iceland
IM Fell Double Pica
IM Fell Double Pica SC
IM Fell DW Pica
IM Fell DW Pica SC
IM Fell English
IM Fell English SC
IM Fell French Canon
IM Fell French Canon SC
IM Fell Great Primer
IM Fell Great Primer SC
Imprima
Inconsolata
Inder
Indie Flower
Inika
Inknut Antiqua
Inria Serif
Irish Grover
Istok Web
Italiana
Italianno
Itim
Jacques Francois
Jacques Francois Shadow
Jaldi
Jim Nightshade
Jockey One
Jolly Lodger
Jomhuria
Jomolhari
Josefin Sans
Josefin Slab
Joti One
Jua
Judson
Julee
Julius Sans One
Junge
Jura
Just Another Hand
Just Me Again Down Here
K2D
Kadwa
Kalam
Kameron
Kanit
Kantumruy
Karla
Karma
Katibeh
Kaushan Script
Kavivanar
Kavoon
Kdam Thmor
Keania One
Kelly Slab
Kenia
Khand
Khmer
Khula
Kirang Haerang
Kite One
Knewave
Kodchasan
KoHo
Kosugi
Kosugi Maru
Kotta One
Koulen
Kranky
Kreon
Kristi
Krona One
Krub
Kulim Park
Kumar One
Kumar One Outline
Kurale
La Belle Aurore
Lacquer
Laila
Lakki Reddy
Lalezar
Lancelot
Lateef
Lato
League Script
Leckerli One
Ledger
Lekton
Lemon
Lemonada
Lexend Deca
Lexend Exa
Lexend Giga
Lexend Mega
Lexend Peta
Lexend Tera
Lexend Zetta
Libre Barcode 128
Libre Barcode 128 Text
Libre Barcode 39
Libre Barcode 39 Extended
Libre Barcode 39 Extended Text
Libre Barcode 39 Text
Libre Baskerville
Libre Caslon Display
Libre Caslon Text
Libre Franklin
Life Savers
Lilita One
Lily Script One
Limelight
Linden Hill
Literata
Liu Jian Mao Cao
Livvic
Lobster
Lobster Two
Londrina Outline
Londrina Shadow
Londrina Sketch
Londrina Solid
Long Cang
Lora
Love Ya Like A Sister
Loved by the King
Lovers Quarrel
Luckiest Guy
Lusitana
Lustria
M PLUS 1p
M PLUS Rounded 1c
Ma Shan Zheng
Macondo
Macondo Swash Caps
Mada
Magra
Maiden Orange
Maitree
Major Mono Display
Mako
Mali
Mallanna
Mandali
Manjari
Mansalva
Manuale
Marcellus
Marcellus SC
Marck Script
Margarine
Markazi Text
Marko One
Marmelad
Martel
Martel Sans
Marvel
Mate
Mate SC
Maven Pro
McLaren
Meddon
MedievalSharp
Medula One
Meera Inimai
Megrim
Meie Script
Merienda
Merienda One
Merriweather
Merriweather Sans
Metal
Metal Mania
Metamorphous
Metrophobic
Michroma
Milonga
Miltonian
Miltonian Tattoo
Mina
Miniver
Miriam Libre
Mirza
Miss Fajardose
Mitr
Modak
Modern Antiqua
Mogra
Molengo
Molle
Monda
Monofett
Monoton
Monsieur La Doulaise
Montaga
Montez
Montserrat
Montserrat Alternates
Montserrat Subrayada
Moul
Moulpali
Mountains of Christmas
Mouse Memoirs
Mr Bedfort
Mr Dafoe
Mr De Haviland
Mrs Saint Delafield
Mrs Sheppards
Mukta
Mukta Mahee
Mukta Malar
Mukta Vaani
Muli
Mystery Quest
Nanum Brush Script
Nanum Gothic
Nanum Gothic Coding
Nanum Myeongjo
Nanum Pen Script
Neucha
Neuton
New Rocker
News Cycle
Niconne
Niramit
Nixie One
Nobile
Nokora
Norican
Nosifer
Notable
Nothing You Could Do
Noticia Text
Noto Sans
Noto Sans HK
Noto Sans JP
Noto Sans KR
Noto Sans SC
Noto Sans TC
Noto Serif
Noto Serif JP
Noto Serif KR
Noto Serif SC
Noto Serif TC
Nova Cut
Nova Flat
Nova Mono
Nova Oval
Nova Round
Nova Script
Nova Slim
Nova Square
NTR
Numans
Nunito
Nunito Sans
Odibee Sans
Odor Mean Chey
Offside
Old Standard TT
Oldenburg
Oleo Script
Oleo Script Swash Caps
Open Sans 300
Open Sans
Open Sans 600
Open Sans 800
Open Sans Condensed 300
Oranienbaum
Orbitron
Oregano
Orienta
Original Surfer
Oswald
Over the Rainbow
Overlock
Overlock SC
Overpass
Overpass Mono
Ovo
Oxygen
Oxygen Mono
Pacifico
Padauk
Palanquin
Palanquin Dark
Pangolin
Paprika
Parisienne
Passero One
Passion One
Pathway Gothic One
Patrick Hand
Patrick Hand SC
Pattaya
Patua One
Pavanam
Paytone One
Peddana
Peralta
Permanent Marker
Petit Formal Script
Petrona
Philosopher
Piedra
Pinyon Script
Pirata One
Plaster
Play
Playball
Playfair Display
Playfair Display SC
Podkova
Poiret One
Poller One
Poly
Pompiere
Pontano Sans
Poor Story
Poppins
Port Lligat Sans
Port Lligat Slab
Pragati Narrow
Prata
Preahvihear
Press Start 2P
Pridi
Princess Sofia
Prociono
Prompt
Prosto One
Proza Libre
PT Mono
PT Sans
PT Sans Caption
PT Sans Narrow
PT Serif
PT Serif Caption
Public Sans
Puritan
Purple Purse
Quando
Quantico
Quattrocento
Quattrocento Sans
Questrial
Quicksand
Quintessential
Qwigley
Racing Sans One
Radley
Rajdhani
Rakkas
Raleway
Raleway Dots
Ramabhadra
Ramaraja
Rambla
Rammetto One
Ranchers
Rancho
Ranga
Rasa
Rationale
Ravi Prakash
Red Hat Display
Red Hat Text
Redressed
Reem Kufi
Reenie Beanie
Revalia
Rhodium Libre
Ribeye
Ribeye Marrow
Righteous
Risque
Roboto
Roboto Condensed
Roboto Mono
Roboto Slab
Rochester
Rock Salt
Rokkitt
Romanesco
Ropa Sans
Rosario
Rosarivo
Rouge Script
Rozha One
Rubik
Rubik Mono One
Ruda
Rufina
Ruge Boogie
Ruluko
Rum Raisin
Ruslan Display
Russo One
Ruthie
Rye
Sacramento
Sahitya
Sail
Saira
Saira Condensed
Saira Extra Condensed
Saira Semi Condensed
Saira Stencil One
Salsa
Sanchez
Sancreek
Sansita
Sarabun
Sarala
Sarina
Sarpanch
Satisfy
Sawarabi Gothic
Sawarabi Mincho
Scada
Scheherazade
Schoolbell
Scope One
Seaweed Script
Secular One
Sedgwick Ave
Sedgwick Ave Display
Sevillana
Seymour One
Shadows Into Light
Shadows Into Light Two
Shanti
Share
Share Tech
Share Tech Mono
Shojumaru
Short Stack
Shrikhand
Siemreap
Sigmar One
Signika
Signika Negative
Simonetta
Single Day
Sintony
Sirin Stencil
Six Caps
Skranji
Slabo 13px
Slabo 27px
Slackey
Smokum
Smythe
Sniglet
Snippet
Snowburst One
Sofadi One
Sofia
Solway
Song Myung
Sonsie One
Sorts Mill Goudy
Source Code Pro
Source Sans Pro
Source Serif Pro
Space Mono
Special Elite
Spectral
Spectral SC
Spicy Rice
Spinnaker
Spirax
Squada One
Sree Krushnadevaraya
Sriracha
Srisakdi
Staatliches
Stalemate
Stalinist One
Stardos Stencil
Stint Ultra Condensed
Stint Ultra Expanded
Stoke
Strait
Stylish
Sue Ellen Francisco
Suez One
Sulphur Point
Sumana
Sunflower
Sunshiney
Supermercado One
Sura
Suranna
Suravaram
Suwannaphum
Swanky and Moo Moo
Syncopate
Tajawal
Tangerine
Taprom
Tauri
Taviraj
Teko
Telex
Tenali Ramakrishna
Tenor Sans
Text Me One
Thasadith
The Girl Next Door
Tienne
Tillana
Timmana
Tinos
Titan One
Titillium Web
Tomorrow
Trade Winds
Trirong
Trocchi
Trochut
Trykker
Tulpen One
Turret Road
Ubuntu
Ubuntu Condensed
Ubuntu Mono
Ultra
Uncial Antiqua
Underdog
Unica One
UnifrakturCook
UnifrakturMaguntia
Unkempt
Unlock
Unna
Vampiro One
Varela
Varela Round
Vast Shadow
Vesper Libre
Vibes
Vibur
Vidaloka
Viga
Voces
Volkhov
Vollkorn
Vollkorn SC
Voltaire
VT323
Waiting for the Sunrise
Wallpoet
Walter Turncoat
Warnes
Wellfleet
Wendy One
Wire One
Work Sans
Yanone Kaffeesatz
Yantramanav
Yatra One
Yellowtail
Yeon Sung
Yeseva One
Yesteryear
Yrsa
ZCOOL KuaiLe
ZCOOL QingKe HuangYou
ZCOOL XiaoWei
Zeyada
Zhi Mang Xing
Zilla Slab
Zilla Slab Highlight
Original
TAGS & TOPICS
Ben Shahn
Age: 70 †
Born: 1898
Born: September 12
Died: 1969
Died: March 14
Artist
Designer
Graphic Artist
Lithographer
Painter
Photographer
Kovno
Benjamin Shahn
Benjamin Shan
Still
Buildings
Anything
Primarily
Nothing
Sake
Life
Interested
Like
Building
People
Sense
Action
Stills
Photographically
More quotes by Ben Shahn
Only an individual can imagine, invent, or create. The whole audience of art is an audience of individuals.
Ben Shahn
All art is based on nonconformity ... Without nonconformity we would have had no Bill of Rights or Magna Carta, no public education system, no nation upon this continent, no continent, no science at all, no philosophy, and considerably fewer religions.
Ben Shahn
I believe that if it were left to artists to choose their own labels, most would choose none.
Ben Shahn
Now, when I came on to Washington to begin my job, I was so interested in photography at that time that I really would have preferred to work with Stryker than with my department, which was more artistic if you wish.
Ben Shahn
When you talk about war on poverty it doesn't mean very much but if you can show to some degree this sort of thing then you can show a great deal more of how people are living and a very great percentage of our people today.
Ben Shahn
It is an intimately communicative affair between the painter and his painting, a conversation back and forth, the painting telling the painter even as it receives its shape and form.
Ben Shahn
It is not the how of painting but the why. To imitate a style would be a little like teaching a tone of voice or a personality.
Ben Shahn
I feel, having the choices I had, I felt I had more control over my own medium than I did over photography.
Ben Shahn
Forms in art arise from the impact of idea upon material... so that thinking and belief and attitudes may endure as actual things.
Ben Shahn
If you're going to be an artist, all life is your subject. And all your experience is part of your art. A youngster told me recently that he was going to give himself a year to see if he has talent. A year! It takes a lifetime to see if you have it. Painting is total engagement.
Ben Shahn
How do you paint yellow wheat against a yellow sky? You paint it jet black.
Ben Shahn
To abstract is to draw out the essence of a matter. To abstract in art is to separate certain fundamentals from irrelevant material which surrounds them.
Ben Shahn
Every great historic change has been based on nonconformity, has been bought either with the blood or with the reputation of nonconformists.
Ben Shahn
The popular eye is not untrained it is only wrongly trained - trained by inferior and insincere visual representations.
Ben Shahn
The values that reside in art are anarchic, they are every man's loves and hates and his momentary divine revelation.
Ben Shahn
We tried to present the ordinary in an extraordinary manner. But that's the paradox because the only thing extraordinary about it was that it was so ordinary. Nobody had ever done it before, deliberately. Now it's called documentary, which I suppose is all right ... We just took pictures that cried out to be taken.
Ben Shahn
What is it about conformity itself that causes us all to require it of our neighbors and of our artists and then, with consummate fickleness, to forget those who fall into line and eternally celebrate those who do not?
Ben Shahn
I confess that Roy [Stryker] was a little bit dictatorial in his editing and he ruined quite a number of my pictures, which he stopped doing later. He used to punch a hole through a negative. Some of them were incredibly valuable. He didn't understand at the time.
Ben Shahn
If one has set for himself the position that his painting shall not misconstrue his personal mode of thinking, then he must be rather alert to just what he does think.
Ben Shahn
The time when I had desire to go to the United States I didn't have a penny. It was in the middle of the depression, you know. I couldn't get as far as Hoboken at that time.
Ben Shahn