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Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—Art:
In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau likens self-creation to artwork via metaphor:
It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.
Here, the author claims that the highest art is the formation of one's own perspective. He acknowledges the power and beauty of actual art, but he argues that it is more glorious to "carve and paint the very atmosphere" in which we live. This metaphor likens humans to artists, and their lives (or environments) to art. In other words, people can shape their own minds and make life worth living. Modernity remains at odds with this idea; the modern world places such great emphasis on making things, and on producing work, that many people forget their power to create themselves.
This metaphor nicely introduces the idea of self-reliance and deliberate living. It appears right before the famous line: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately." Creating one's own life—and art—requires deliberate intention and effort. Just as an artist spends most of his time dreaming up new ways to hone his craft, regular people must spend more time intentionally crafting their own lives.
This idea appears again in the Conclusion when Thoreau writes about a parable of an artist in Kouroo who rejects petty concerns and strives instead for a transcendent existence. He dedicates himself to his work and becomes a sort of higher being able to produce beautiful works of art—but also able to forge the path of his own life. This anecdote resonates with Thoreau's initial commentary on art because this artist crafts both his projects and his life.
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