“The art world is a very different place to the music industry. It is considerably less sure of itself. The music industry knows that the power of a perfect song is universal and that there is no way to deny this. This is why, as previously noted, it can absorb any attack. The art world is on far shakier ground. To generalise, the products of the... See more

Rothko didn't paint for people who wanted realistic landscapes. Coltrane didn't compose for ears that preferred simple melodies. They created from their center outward, trusting that specificity would find its own resonance. The result wasn't exclusion but precision—work that spoke directly to the people capable of receiving it.