--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is the subject matter of this…" description: "\"What is the subject matter of this apparently very personal world? It has been suggested that these shapes and images are underworld characters, the in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/aaron-siskind-26377_amount_what-is-the-subject-matter-of-this-appar_2066718.png" --- # What is the subject matter of this apparently very… ![“What is the subject matter of this apparently very personal world? It has been suggested that these shapes and images are underworld characters, the inhabitants of the vast common realm of memories that have gone down below the level of conscious control. It may be they are. The degree of…” quote by Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/aaron-siskind-26377_amount_what-is-the-subject-matter-of-this-appar_2066718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/aaron-siskind-26377_amount_what-is-the-subject-matter-of-this-appar_2066718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/457/aaron-siskind-26377_amount_what-is-the-subject-matter-of-this-appar_2066718.png) > “What is the subject matter of this apparently very personal world? It has been suggested that these shapes and images are underworld characters, the inhabitants of the vast common realm of memories that have gone down below the level of conscious control. It may be they are. The degree of emotional involvement and the amount of free association with the material being photographed would point in that direction.” [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer suggests that abstract shapes in his images represent subconscious, underworld memories, implying that visual art can reveal hidden mental realms. **In simple terms:** Images hint at hidden memories beneath consciousness. Key Takeaway Look beyond the surface of visual art. Themes memory subconscious abstraction psychology visual art Mood reflective thoughtful analytical Type critical interpretive artistic When to use this quote - gallery viewing - art therapy - personal reflection - creative inspiration Key Concepts collective unconscious symbolic representation interpretive analysis Questions to Reflect On - What personal memories do you see in abstract forms? - How does art access the unconscious mind? A Different Perspective Interpretations are subjective; not all viewers will perceive the same hidden meanings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Underworld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underworld/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“And here lies the crux of the matter: to say that nature is personal may mean not so much seeing the world differently as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-stuckey/and-here-lies-the-crux-of-the-matter-to-say-that-nature-is-personal/) Priscilla Stuckey > [What I've tried to do is combine both my personal experiences with scientific research. 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As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/i-was-given-a-small-camera-as-a-wedding-gift-from-a-very-dear-friend/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [The only other things I got from the abstract expressionists is the absolute belief that this canvas is the complete total area of struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/the-only-other-things-i-got-from-the-abstract-expressionists-is-the/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [For some reason or other there was in me the desire to see the world clean and fresh and alive, as primitive things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/for-some-reason-or-other-there-was-in-me-the-desire-to-see-the-world/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [I may be wrong, but the essential illustrative nature of most documentary photography, and the worship of the object per se, in our best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/i-may-be-wrong-but-the-essential-illustrative-nature-of-most/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [When I make a photograph I want it to be an altogether new object, complete and self-contained, whose basic condition is order (unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/when-i-make-a-photograph-i-want-it-to-be-an-altogether-new-object/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [“We look at the world and see what we have learned to believe is there. 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What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/photography-is-a-way-of-feeling-of-touching-of-loving-what-you-have/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [The only nature I'm interested in is my own nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/the-only-nature-i-m-interested-in-is-my-own-nature/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [“The inner drama is the meaning of the exterior event.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/the-inner-drama-is-the-meaning-of-the-exterior-event/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [Producing a photographic document involves preparation in excess. There is first the examination of the idea of the project. Then the visits to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/producing-a-photographic-document-involves-preparation-in-excess/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/photography-is-a-way-of-feeling-of-touching-of-loving/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [We look at the world and see what we have learned to believe is there. We have been conditioned to expect... but, as photographers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-siskind/we-look-at-the-world-and-see-what-we-have-learned-to-believe-is-there-2/) [Aaron Siskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-siskind/) > [However, I must stress that my own interest is immediate and in the picture. 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