--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Warhol influenced me because of his…" description: "\"Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/ai-weiwei-824_artist_warhol-influenced-me-because-of-his-writ_2221345.png" --- # Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had… ![“Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/ai-weiwei-824_artist_warhol-influenced-me-because-of-his-writ_2221345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/ai-weiwei-824_artist_warhol-influenced-me-because-of-his-writ_2221345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/847/ai-weiwei-824_artist_warhol-influenced-me-because-of-his-writ_2221345.png) > “Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding an artist's writings deepens appreciation of their visual work. **In simple terms:** Reading his words reveals his art's meaning. Key Takeaway Read artists' writings to grasp their work. Themes art appreciation interpretation context Mood thoughtful curious Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - museum visits - art studies - personal reflection Key Concepts artist intent cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does text shape your view of art? - Can you feel the art without reading? A Different Perspective Only reading may miss visual nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warhol/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've been playing the Wolfenstein games since I was a kid, and feel that their outlandish sensibility has deeply influenced my own writing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-avary/i-ve-been-playing-the-wolfenstein-games-since-i-was-a-kid-and-feel/) [Roger Avary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-avary/) > [I'm never really conscious of what I'm being influenced by when I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-m-never-really-conscious-of-what-i-m-being-influenced-by-when-i-m/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [In 2011, 'Yourself in the World,' a book of my writings and interviews, was published in conjunction with a retrospective of my work at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/in-2011-yourself-in-the-world-a-book-of-my-writings-and-interviews/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [ It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point \[John\] Lennon and \[Paul\] McCartney influenced my writing. I thought, "maybe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/it-was-very-interesting-time-to-be-in-england-even-at-that-point-john/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [How my relationship with my parents influenced my writing, really not at all. My dad was a mechanic, my mom a nurse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/how-my-relationship-with-my-parents-influenced-my-writing-really-not/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [I think the few writers who influenced me most in writing short stories are Alice Munro and Grace Paley. They're very different, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-freudenberger/i-think-the-few-writers-who-influenced-me-most-in-writing-short/) [Nell Freudenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-freudenberger/) > [The one author who has influenced my writing the most is the English writer John Fowles, who wrote 'The French Lieutenant's Woman,' 'The Magus,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-one-author-who-has-influenced-my-writing-the-most-is-the-english/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [I've experienced being properly lost in my desires, and it's really influenced my writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/i-ve-experienced-being-properly-lost-in-my-desires-and-it-s-really/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [I took photos from 1976 to when I left in 1993, primarily for Interview and a column I had called "Bob Colacello's Out" which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-colacello/i-took-photos-from-1976-to-when-i-left-in-1993-primarily-for/) [Bob Colacello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-colacello/) > [You see so many people doing quite nice and respectful work, but nobody like Warhol. Warhol is outstanding. I think he has a value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/you-see-so-many-people-doing-quite-nice-and-respectful-work-but/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Warhol came from an ordinary family and he had a profound understanding about capitalism and material culture. He was probably one of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/warhol-came-from-an-ordinary-family-and-he-had-a-profound/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think my father had a direct influence on me, but I do think, more or less, I was influenced by his independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-my-father-had-a-direct-influence-on-me-but-i-do-think/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [TV has eaten up everything else, and Warhol films are all that are left, which is fabulous. Pork could become the next I Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/tv-has-eaten-up-everything-else-and-warhol-films-are-all-that-are/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [When you look at that period when Warhol and the Velvets and the Stones were doing things, it was this intersection of art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-robertson/when-you-look-at-that-period-when-warhol-and-the-velvets-and-the/) [Robbie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-robertson/) > [I feel when you walk into somebody's apartment on Fifth Avenue or house in Malibu and you see a Basquiat, a Warhol, a Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pigozzi/i-feel-when-you-walk-into-somebody-s-apartment-on-fifth-avenue-or/) [Jean Pigozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pigozzi/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## 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. 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