Original artwork, not a still
"Inspiration," Letters and Social Aims · 1876
Artists must be sacrificed to their art. Like bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Artists, the speaker claims, must give themselves up for their work. The comparison to bees suggests that the creative act costs something vital, just as a sting costs a bee its life. Whatever the artist offers the world is paid for with the artist's own existence.
Context reviewed
