The quote reflects the perspective of a critic who engages deeply with art yet feels a sense of detachment from it, likening their experience to that of a eunuch in a harem. This metaphor suggests that while critics observe and appreciate beauty, they cannot fully partake in the creation of it. However, the critic finds value in this distance, claiming that unfulfilled admiration allows them to appreciate beauty in a more profound way.
The ability to articulate beauty is portrayed as a skill, with the critic expressing that they can curate and present aesthetic qualities in articulate ways. The critic learns to see and understand art and can evoke emotions and insights about it at any moment, effectively shaping their narrative and observations through learned experience. This encapsulates the complex relationship between artistic creation and critical interpretation.