Zola: Talent Can Only Get the Artist So Far

by DSN Editors

Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a French writer, the most well-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in the renowned newspaper headline J'accuse. Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

Below, Zola briefly lays out the prerequisites for exceptional artistry:

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."

We always like to include a DSN video clip in these points as an application of the historical figure's words. DSN has a wealth of videos about the artistic process, but the following clip featuring acclaimed choreographer Elizabeth Streb seemed to work best. In it, she dissects the work put in by students at her Streb Lab for Action Mechanics to push the limits of dance as an art form: