p. 271, "Being Outside"
“

For the artist, fulfillment of self consists not in marching in the ranks of the liberators but in being entered in the roll of the Masters. The artist tends to find himself in the position of a deserter from his social group — or, at best, one who collaborates, with secret reservations.

— Harold Rosenberg

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "For the artist, fulfillment of self consists not in marching in the ranks of the liberators but in being entered in the roll of the Masters. The artist tends to find himself in the position of a deserter from his social group — or, at best, one who collaborates, with secret reservations." in the context of "p. 271, "Being Outside"" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Harold Rosenberg" (Quotes, Art & Other Serious Matters, (1985): Harold Rosenberg. Art & Other Serious Matters, (1985) University of Chicago Press,) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Harold Rosenberg

Harold Rosenberg (February 2, 1906 – July 11, 1978) was an American art critic, educator and historian. His essay on Action painting of 1952 made him an important voice in the New York art world.