---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had drawings that were the first time…"
description: "\"I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics was put into visual form.\" — Agnes Denes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg"
---

#  I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics…

![“I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics was put into visual form.” quote by Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg)

> “I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics was put into visual form.”

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She pioneered visualizing mathematical concepts through drawing, merging art with scientific representation.

**In simple terms:** She turned math into pictures, blending art and science.

Key Takeaway

Explore interdisciplinary creativity.

Themes

art mathematics visualization innovation interdisciplinary

Mood

inspired curious

Type

creative educational

When to use this quote

- gallery exhibitions
- educational curricula
- public installations

Key Concepts

Conceptual art mathematical visualization educational outreach

Questions to Reflect On

- How does visual art change perception of math?
- What other fields could benefit from visual representation?

A Different Perspective

Visual art may oversimplify complex math.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings/) [Drawings Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings-time-2853233/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Visual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-visual-2853232/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Visual Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual-form-2588850/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/)

## Related quotes

> [I was absolutely lost in love and life when I did my drawings. Time stood still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevyn-aucoin/i-was-absolutely-lost-in-love-and-life-when-i-did-my-drawings-time/)

[Kevyn Aucoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevyn-aucoin/)

> [Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/typography-is-the-craft-of-endowing-human-language-with-a-durable-2/)

[Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/)

> [What sets you apart from the rest of humanity is your ability to give visual form to an idea - the skill to transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schmid/what-sets-you-apart-from-the-rest-of-humanity-is-your-ability-to-give/)

[Richard Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schmid/)

> [I rarely draw myself, in general, and if I do, I tend to do little cute manga-esque, almost bite-sized drawings of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/i-rarely-draw-myself-in-general-and-if-i-do-i-tend-to-do-little-cute/)

[Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/)

> [Where as in animation you have to kind of do a series of drawings in between to complete the movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-scarfe/where-as-in-animation-you-have-to-kind-of-do-a-series-of-drawings-in/)

[Gerald Scarfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-scarfe/)

> [Every artist returns to things. The drawings that you make as a child or as an adolescent and the ideas that you have as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-de-kooning/every-artist-returns-to-things-the-drawings-that-you-make-as-a-child/)

[Elaine de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-de-kooning/)

> [My drawings at first were made altogether in watercolors, but they wanted softness and a great deal of finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/my-drawings-at-first-were-made-altogether-in-watercolors-but-they/)

[John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/)

> [What do drawings mean to me? I really don't know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else in a way that I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/what-do-drawings-mean-to-me-i-really-don-t-know-the-activity-absorbs/)

[John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/)

> [My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/my-drawings-inspire-and-are-not-to-be-defined-they-place-us-as-does/)

[Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/)

> [If you don't use an image now you might have a place to put it in further down the line - and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-pettibon/if-you-don-t-use-an-image-now-you-might-have-a-place-to-put-it-in/)

[Raymond Pettibon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-pettibon/)

> [The drawings don't start with 'a beautiful mark'. It has to be a mark of something out there in the world. It doesn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kentridge/the-drawings-don-t-start-with-a-beautiful-mark-it-has-to-be-a-mark-of/)

[William Kentridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kentridge/)

> [I was very nervous about doing the Entertainment Weekly cover, because I thought, "Okay, this is the first taste, this is the first visual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-was-very-nervous-about-doing-the-entertainment-weekly-cover-because/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [“The stranger drew the curtains round the bed, took up the light, and inspected the apartment. The walls of both rooms were hung with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/the-stranger-drew-the-curtains-round-the-bed-took-up-the-light-and/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/)

> [I have designed my style pantomimes as white ink drawings on black backgrounds, so that man's destiny appears as a thread lost in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-marceau/i-have-designed-my-style-pantomimes-as-white-ink-drawings-on-black/)

[Marcel Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-marceau/)

> [“His drawings were not originals then, only copies. He must have been doing them as a sort of retirement hobby, he was an incurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/his-drawings-were-not-originals-then-only-copies-he-must-have-been/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More by Agnes Denes

> [I went through about six or seven painting methods just to see what I didn't want to do. And then I got off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painting-methods-just-to-see-what-i/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [What I did for my last act as a painter, if you call me a painter, was to photograph the weave of the canvas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/what-i-did-for-my-last-act-as-a-painter-if-you-call-me-a-painter-was/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [People don't hurt what they love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/people-don-t-hurt-what-they-love/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [Thinking has an understructure and underpinnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/thinking-has-an-understructure-and-underpinnings/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [The tree is made by nature, mathematics by people. And combining the two is creating this beautiful alliance between humanity and nature. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/the-tree-is-made-by-nature-mathematics-by-people-and-combining-the/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [Words are changing. I find that old expressions are outdated, so when I write something, I try to find a new expression that hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/words-are-changing-i-find-that-old-expressions-are-outdated-so-when-i/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [I'm mostly self-taught. I didn't learn much in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-m-mostly-self-taught-i-didn-t-learn-much-in-school/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [When I'm gone, you'll be sitting in a cafe and say, "Do you remember Agnes?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/when-i-m-gone-you-ll-be-sitting-in-a-cafe-and-say-do-you-remember/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [Public art existed all along, but ecological art just naturally grew out of my thinking and writings in that area for years. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/public-art-existed-all-along-but-ecological-art-just-naturally-grew/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [I never considered myself a performance artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-never-considered-myself-a-performance-artist/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [If I like a person, I like them. I may like the art and not like the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/if-i-like-a-person-i-like-them-i-may-like-the-art-and-not-like-the/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [I always was alone. And I'm alone today. It's fine. I have lots of friends, but not in terms of working together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-always-was-alone-and-i-m-alone-today-it-s-fine-i-have-lots-of/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [I wish I didn't have daily problems to deal with, so that I could just concentrate on learning more, every single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-wish-i-didn-t-have-daily-problems-to-deal-with-so-that-i-could-just/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [There's no precedent for women philosophers and there's no precedence for most of the things I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/there-s-no-precedent-for-women-philosophers-and-there-s-no-precedence/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

> [I hate to put tags on things, because tags change, and they change with the requirements made on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-hate-to-put-tags-on-things-because-tags-change-and-they-change-with/)

[Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

[Explore all 30 Agnes Denes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/)

## More Artist quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

[Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics was put into visual form.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Agnes Denes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time-that-mathematics-was-put-into/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time-that-mathematics-was-put-into/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/agnes-denes-20682_drawing_i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time_1907677.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had drawings that were the first time that mathematics was put into visual form.” — Agnes Denes",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Agnes Denes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had drawings that were the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time-that-mathematics-was-put-into/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-had-drawings-that-were-the-first-time-that-mathematics-was-put-into/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
