art is long and life is short

art is long and life is short

proverb A phrase that emphasizes the permanence of art and the fleeting nature of human life. As I've gotten older, I've been painting more because I know that art is long and life is short.
See also: and, art, life, long, short
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Art is long and life is short.

Prov. Works of art last much longer than human lives.; Life is too short to learn everything you need to know about a particular discipline. Alan: You ought to do something besides paint pictures in your spare time. Come out with us, have some fun. Bob: Having fun will not win me immortality. Only my paintings can do that. Art is long and life is short. I always feel a sense of awe when I look at the Babylonian statues in the art museum. They were made thousands of years ago. Art is long and life is short.
See also: and, art, life, long, short
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • many a time
  • have got a leg up on (someone)
  • have got all (one's) marbles
  • is it
  • think on
  • think on (someone or something)
  • partially sighted
  • sighted
  • languish
  • languish in