--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went through about six or seven…" description: "\"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 wall, and went into the environment.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg" --- # I went through about six or seven painting methods just to… ![“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 wall, and went into the environment.” quote by Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg) > “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 wall, and went into the environment.” [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. The speaker explored multiple artistic techniques, discarding those that felt unsuitable, and ultimately shifted focus from a literal canvas to a broader, immersive context. **In simple terms:** Experimentation leads to redefining the medium. Key Takeaway Explore, then expand beyond constraints. Themes creative process artistic exploration environmental art innovation self-discovery Mood curiosity determination wonder Type statement process insight artistic philosophy When to use this quote - artist studio - gallery planning - public space installation - conceptual art development Key Concepts painting methods environmental context creative decision-making Practical Applications - curating immersive exhibitions - designing site-specific installations Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions limit your creative choices? - How does changing the setting alter the work's meaning? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Off the wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off-the-wall/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [I know when the Berlin wall went down and I walked into what was East Berlin and saw two big Nike banners - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/i-know-when-the-berlin-wall-went-down-and-i-walked-into-what-was-east/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [“Langdon knew she was right and reluctantly made his way around the balcony, hugging the wall as he went.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/langdon-knew-she-was-right-and-reluctantly-made-his-way-around-the/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I grew up moving around. I went to seven different schools, so I know what it's like to be that new girl and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-ryan/i-grew-up-moving-around-i-went-to-seven-different-schools-so-i-know/) [Debby Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-ryan/) > [I went to seven colleges. I was a professional transfer student. I had to drop out 'cause I couldn't see out the back window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/i-went-to-seven-colleges-i-was-a-professional-transfer-student-i-had/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) > [When I was ten, I went to seven schools in one year in Nova Scotia. Me and my mum moved there so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-goth/when-i-was-ten-i-went-to-seven-schools-in-one-year-in-nova-scotia-me/) [Mia Goth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-goth/) > [When I did 'Farpoint,' I didn't even know I was going to do a second show, and the experience went on for seven years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/when-i-did-farpoint-i-didn-t-even-know-i-was-going-to-do-a-second/) [John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/) > [With the first 'Toy Story,' we didn't know what the hell we were doing. We'd never made a movie before, so we went down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-unkrich/with-the-first-toy-story-we-didn-t-know-what-the-hell-we-were-doing/) [Lee Unkrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-unkrich/) > [I went to seven different elementary schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordae/i-went-to-seven-different-elementary-schools/) [Cordae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordae/) > [Before the eighth grade, I probably went to seven or eight different schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-london/before-the-eighth-grade-i-probably-went-to-seven-or-eight-different/) [Jeremy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-london/) > [At an incredibly divisive point in pop history, Donna Summer managed to create an undeniable across-the-board experience of mass pleasure - after 'Bad Girls,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/at-an-incredibly-divisive-point-in-pop-history-donna-summer-managed/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [You can’t bounce off the walls If there are no walls: outdoor schools make kids happier—and smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sobel/you-can-t-bounce-off-the-walls-if-there-are-no-walls-outdoor-schools/) [David Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sobel/) > [“Life is a conjurer’s trick that may become a playground for multifarious side-splitting acts; sometimes a showdown for a series of torturous, off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/life-is-a-conjurer-s-trick-that-may-become-a-playground-for/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The Affordable Care Act has clearly, as Secretary Clinton made the point, done a lot of good things, but, what it has not done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-affordable-care-act-has-clearly-as-secretary-clinton-made-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Usually I try to be there by six. Everything has been taken off the walls so that there's nothing to arrest my sight. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/usually-i-try-to-be-there-by-six-everything-has-been-taken-off-the/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [The New York action painters want their pictures to jump off the walls and chase you down the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-new-york-action-painters-want-their-pictures-to-jump-off-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More by 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/) > [Pattern-finding is the purpose of the mind and the construct of the universe. There are an infinite number of patterns, some of which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/pattern-finding-is-the-purpose-of-the-mind-and-the-construct-of-the/) [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 > [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 went through about six or seven painting methods just to see what I didn't want to do. And then I got off the wall, and went into the environment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Agnes Denes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painting-methods-just-to-see-what-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painting-methods-just-to-see-what-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/024/agnes-denes-20682_artist_i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painti_10262.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I went through about six or seven painting methods just to see what I didn't want to do. And then I got off…” — 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 went through about six or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painting-methods-just-to-see-what-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-went-through-about-six-or-seven-painting-methods-just-to-see-what-i/#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 } } ] } ```