How we cite our quotes: (Page.Paragraph)
Quote #7
'An artist needs time to do nothing but sit around and let ideas come to him.'(251.1)
This is Jacob Kahn's advice on creativity to Asher, and it ends up bearing out pretty well. Asher spends his summers with Jacob Kahn at Kahn's beach house, playing in the surf and meditating on what his next paintings will be. He uses this method to paint the Brooklyn Crucifixion series.
Quote #8
'We changed the eyes of the world, Asher Lev. Picasso and Braque with painting and Jacob Kahn with sculpture.'(263.5)
Jacob Kahn explains to Asher the transformative power of art and creativity. A small group of artists working closely together can change the way everyone sees, which is a pretty incredible thing to think about, especially if you're one of those artists. At least Jacob Kahn's modest.
Quote #9
A balance had to be given the world; the demonic had to be reshaped into meaning. Had a dream-haunted Jew spent the rest of his life sculpting the form out of the horror of his private night? (323.1)
As Asher sets to work on Brooklyn Crucifixion, he struggles to understand the events of the past in his own creative terms. In this quote, he's wondering about the life of Jacob Kahn: specifically, has Jacob Kahn given meaning to the awful things he witnessed in the past by describing them in sculptural form? (The answer is yes.)