Andrei Tarkovsky
Poetic visionary of Solaris, Tarkovsky's meditations quotably probed spirituality and time.
Most quoted
"The allotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as example. The function of art is to answer to our thirst for the absolute."
— from Book, 1986
"Art is by nature aristocratic, and even if it sometimes tries to make itself accessible, it always remains a high and lonely thing."
— from Book, 1986
"Art is a prayer. It's a prayer. It's a prayer. If you're a believer, it's a prayer. If you're not a believer, it's a prayer."
— from Interview, 1983
All quotes by Andrei Tarkovsky (101)
The search for God is the real quest of the artist.
In the end, what is important is not the words, but the silence between them.
Cinema is an emotional reality, not a rational one.
The meaning of life is in the search itself.
Art is born of humiliation.
I am only interested in the relations between human beings.
The artist has no right to an idea unless he can make it real.
Faith is the basis of all creativity.
The cinema has to go its own way, not imitate literature or theater.
Life is a dream, and we are all sleepwalkers.
The soul of the artist is in constant torment.
Beauty is the highest form of truth.
I film the world as I see it, not as I want it to be.
Silence is the language of God.
The artist must suffer to create.
Time is the most precious thing we have.
Cinema is prayer in motion.
The meaning of existence is hidden in the rhythm of life.
I don't make films for critics, but for those who feel.
Love is the only reality.
Contemporaries of Andrei Tarkovsky
Other Film & Theaters born within 50 years of Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986).