I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct, immediate, and truly free vision could be achieved, and an idea be revealed with clarity. To acquire such an instrument, however... demanded full resolution of the past, and present through it. No shouting about individualism, no capering before an expanse of canvas, no manipulation of academic conceits or technical fetishes can truly liberate..


Letter to Gordon Smith, January 1, 1959, as quoted in Abstract Expressionism Creators and Critics, edited by Clifford Ross, Abrams Publishers New York 1990, p. 194

Clyfford Still Quotes

I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct,...

I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct,...

I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct,...

I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct,...