The Enemy of Art is the Absence of Limitations

December 8, 2022 issue #5

There is a notable quote from Orson Welles that is often bandied about in the art world, which includes photographers. 

The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.

I spent time checking the provenance of this quote. First of all, did Welles really say it, and secondly, in what context did he say it?

Often one can get a better understanding of what someone’s meaning of something is if one knows who they’re talking to and what they’re talking about. Unfortunately, only one man heard Welles say this – Henry Jaglam – he said that Welles said it to him during a private conversation, and Jaglam quoted it in his 1992 book titled “The Movie Business Book.”

So, we only have the quote – I’m going to do my best to interpret what Welles might have meant by it as if he were talking to a bunch of photographers.