--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My painting occurs when I think of two…" description: "\"My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements.\" — Alex Colville" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png" --- # My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements. ![“My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements.” quote by Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png) > “My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements.” [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist creates work by juxtaposing two unrelated ideas, generating new meaning through contrast. **In simple terms:** Art emerges from combining unrelated elements. Key Takeaway Explore contrast in creative work. Themes art creativity philosophy perception inspiration Mood reflective inspirational Type conceptual artistic When to use this quote - painting - design - writing - music composition - problem solving Key Concepts juxtaposition conceptual blending visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected pairings could inspire you? - How does contrast affect interpretation? A Different Perspective Risk of incoherence if elements clash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [To change your phrase somewhat, I know that I like an art where disparate elements form an entity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-schuyler/to-change-your-phrase-somewhat-i-know-that-i-like-an-art-where/) [James Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-schuyler/) > [“But what is chance ? What is genius ? The words chance and genius do not denote any really existing thing and therefore cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/but-what-is-chance-what-is-genius-the-words-chance-and-genius-do-not/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [A good impression is sort of a juxtaposition of disparate elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/a-good-impression-is-sort-of-a-juxtaposition-of-disparate-elements/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [When two seemingly disparate elements are imaginatively poised put in apposition in new and unique ways, startling discoveries often result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/when-two-seemingly-disparate-elements-are-imaginatively-poised-put-in/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [This was pointed out to me by somebody who referred to the paintings of Rembrandt and his use of light: some elements are highlighted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/this-was-pointed-out-to-me-by-somebody-who-referred-to-the-paintings/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [The theme, or harmony, of a painting can be created by any one of its visual elements. A single colour... repetition of shapes... Light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-theme-or-harmony-of-a-painting-can-be-created-by-any-one-of-its/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-actors-and-directors/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/) [Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) ## More by Alex Colville > [Anxiety is the normality of our age,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/anxiety-is-the-normality-of-our-age/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [I don’t intend to be menacing, but I do think of life as being essentially dangerous. We never know what’s going to happen from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/i-don-t-intend-to-be-menacing-but-i-do-think-of-life-as-being/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [The woman sees, I suppose, and the man does not,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/the-woman-sees-i-suppose-and-the-man-does-not/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [I don't think there's such a thing as an evil animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/i-don-t-think-there-s-such-a-thing-as-an-evil-animal/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [I don't use photographs because photographs don't give me the kind of information I need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/i-don-t-use-photographs-because-photographs-don-t-give-me-the-kind-of/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [I think if anything I am perhaps more inclined than most people are to be polite and considerate because I am aware that human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/i-think-if-anything-i-am-perhaps-more-inclined-than-most-people-are/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) > [It's the ordinary things that seem important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/it-s-the-ordinary-things-that-seem-important-to-me/) [Alex Colville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) [Explore all 8 Alex Colville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/) ## 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": "My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alex Colville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-disparate-elements/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-disparate-elements/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/alex-colville-47242_artist_my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-d_828151.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My painting occurs when I think of two disparate elements.” — Alex Colville", "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": "Alex Colville", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-colville/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My painting occurs when I think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-disparate-elements/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-colville/my-painting-occurs-when-i-think-of-two-disparate-elements/#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 } } ] } ```