---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To do justice to modern technology's…"
description: "\"To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear structure, to the lofty gridwork of cranes and bridges, to the dynamism of machines operating at one ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg"
---

#  To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear…

![“To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear structure, to the lofty gridwork of cranes and bridges, to the dynamism of machines operating at one thousand horsepower - only photography is capable of that. What those who are attached to the painterly style regard as photography's defect, the…” quote by Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg)

> “To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear structure, to the lofty gridwork of cranes and bridges, to the dynamism of machines operating at one thousand horsepower - only photography is capable of that. What those who are attached to the painterly style regard as photography's defect, the mechanical reproduction of form - is just what makes it superior to all other means of expression.”

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

## About This Quote

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

Photography captures mechanical reality and dynamic scale, offering a unique truth that painting cannot replicate.

**In simple terms:** Photos show real, powerful scenes better than paintings.

Key Takeaway

Embrace photography for its factual impact.

Themes

art photography technology modernism representation

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

aesthetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- documenting architecture
- industrial photography
- war reportage
- scientific illustration

Key Concepts

mechanical reproduction visual truth industrial age

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “mechanical reproduction” mean for artistic value?
- Can photography convey emotion as effectively as painting?

A Different Perspective

Mechanical focus may overlook emotional nuance and artistic interpretation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Dynamism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dynamism/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Lofty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lofty/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Modern technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-technology/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [I regard photography and film simply as new technical means which painters must absolutely make use of, just as from time out of mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazimir-malevich/i-regard-photography-and-film-simply-as-new-technical-means-which/)

[Kazimir Malevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazimir-malevich/)

> [Photography has always been capable of manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/photography-has-always-been-capable-of-manipulation/)

[Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/)

> [Photography has always been capable of manipulation. Even more subtle and more invidious is the fact that any time you put a frame to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/photography-has-always-been-capable-of-manipulation-even-more-subtle/)

[Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/)

> [The essential factor in the transition of the baroque to photography is not the perfecting of a physical process... rather does it lie in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-bazin/the-essential-factor-in-the-transition-of-the-baroque-to-photography/)

[Andre Bazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-bazin/)

> [Mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/mechanical-reproduction-emancipates-the-work-of-art-from-its/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [“Perhaps success is best defined as maximizing the ratio of your rear wheel horsepower to your engine horsepower. Higher %, happier times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/perhaps-success-is-best-defined-as-maximizing-the-ratio-of-your-rear/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [“All horsepower corrupts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leigh-fermor/all-horsepower-corrupts/)

[Patrick Leigh Fermor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leigh-fermor/)

> [“Take care of your car in the garage, and the car will take care of you on the road.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-car-in-the-garage-and-the-car-will-take-care-of-you/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the afterburner lights, I haven't got 5,000 horsepower. I've got 10,000 horsepower, and possibly the biggest accident you've ever seen in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/when-the-afterburner-lights-i-haven-t-got-5-000-horsepower-i-ve-got/)

[Richard Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/)

> [Hey,” Shane said from the other side of the bars. “Trade you cigarettes for a chocolate bar.” Funny,” Eve said. She was almost back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/hey-shane-said-from-the-other-side-of-the-bars-trade-you-cigarettes/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [The trouble is that too often there is forty horsepower under the bonnet and one asspower at the wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macnaughton/the-trouble-is-that-too-often-there-is-forty-horsepower-under-the/)

John MacNaughton

> [Life is 440 horsepower in a 2-cylinder engine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/life-is-440-horsepower-in-a-2-cylinder-engine/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [The best asset is your own self. You can become to an enormous degree the person you want to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-best-asset-is-your-own-self-you-can-become-to-an-enormous-degree/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat. A key glistening in the ignition. I imagine the top speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jones/there-gleaming-in-the-glow-was-that-ten-horsepower-rotary-engine/)

[George Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jones/)

> [Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-shelby/horsepower-sells-cars-torque-wins-races/)

[Carroll Shelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-shelby/)

## More by Albert Renger-Patzsch

> [There was a time when one looked over one's shoulder with an ironical smile at the photographer and when photography as a profession seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/there-was-a-time-when-one-looked-over-one-s-shoulder-with-an-ironical/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [Technique does not need to be interpreted. It interprets itself. You have to choose the right objects and focus on them precisely and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/technique-does-not-need-to-be-interpreted-it-interprets-itself-you/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [Let us... leave art to the artists, and let us try to use the medium of photography to create photographs that can endure because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/let-us-leave-art-to-the-artists-and-let-us-try-to-use-the-medium-of/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [In photography one should surely proceed from essence of the object and attempt to represent it with photographic terms alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/in-photography-one-should-surely-proceed-from-essence-of-the-object/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [I'd like to briefly state the accomplishment that we expect from a photographer. He must make the person being photographed forget that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/i-d-like-to-briefly-state-the-accomplishment-that-we-expect-from-a/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [Nature, after all, is not so poor that she requires constant improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/nature-after-all-is-not-so-poor-that-she-requires-constant-improvement/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [There is an urgent need to examine old opinions and look at things from a new viewpoint. There must be an increase in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/there-is-an-urgent-need-to-examine-old-opinions-and-look-at-things/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

> [... modern life is no longer thinkable without photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/modern-life-is-no-longer-thinkable-without-photography/)

[Albert Renger-Patzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

[Explore all 9 Albert Renger-Patzsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/)

## More Bridges quotes

> [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/)

[Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/)

[Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/)

> [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/)

[Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/)

> [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/)

[Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/)

[Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear structure, to the lofty gridwork of cranes and bridges, to the dynamism of machines operating at one thousand horsepower - only photography is capable of that. What those who are attached to the painterly style regard as photography's defect, the mechanical reproduction of form - is just what makes it superior to all other means of expression.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Albert Renger-Patzsch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rigid-linear-structure-to-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bridges"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rigid-linear-structure-to-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/albert-renger-patzsch-43923_bridges_to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rig_3037865.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To do justice to modern technology's rigid linear structure, to the lofty gridwork of cranes and bridges, to…” — Albert Renger-Patzsch",
                "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": "Albert Renger-Patzsch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-renger-patzsch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To do justice to modern technology's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rigid-linear-structure-to-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-renger-patzsch/to-do-justice-to-modern-technology-s-rigid-linear-structure-to-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
