art is long, life is short en · X
Etymology
Calque of Latin ars longa, vīta brevis
Meanings
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Art is more enduring than an individual's lifetime.
Remembrance of Things Past Marc Lida's Proust Watercolors Jonathan Weinberg "Art is long, life is short," or so we are told.
2002, Edmund White, Loss Within Loss: Artists in the Age of AIDS:Alas! art is long and life is short! My friends would comfort me with the idea of a name, they say I shall leave behind me; and they tell me I have lived long enough to nature and to glory .
2011, Benjamin Franklin with John Bigelow, The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself:In the side of a storage structure, I note a surely-not-officially sanctioned graffiti slogan, "Art is Long, Life is Short".
August 24, 2017, Passport Magazine, Hong Kong:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| life is temporary, art is forever | alternative | lexicographic | |
| life is short, art is long | alternative | lexicographic | |
| life is short | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (5)
la ars longa, vīta brevis (art is more enduring than life) · grc ὁ βίος βραχύς ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρή (art is more enduring than life) · la vita brevis, ars longa (art is more enduring than life) · fi taide pitkä, elämä lyhyt (art is more enduring than life) · ru жизнь коротка́, иску́сство ве́чно (art is more enduring than life)