--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before the people at large, and for that…" description: "\"Before the people at large, and for that matter, the artists themselves, understand what photography really means, as I understand that term, it is ess..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg" --- # Before the people at large, and for that matter, the… ![“Before the people at large, and for that matter, the artists themselves, understand what photography really means, as I understand that term, it is essential for them to be taught the real meaning of art.” quote by Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg) > “Before the people at large, and for that matter, the artists themselves, understand what photography really means, as I understand that term, it is essential for them to be taught the real meaning of art.” [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding true artistic meaning requires teaching the deeper purpose of photography beyond technique **In simple terms:** Art education must convey photography’s deeper significance Key Takeaway Teach the essence, not just the method Themes art education photography meaning Mood thoughtful inspirational Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - art school curricula - public lectures - gallery workshops Key Concepts aesthetic theory visual perception Questions to Reflect On - How can educators balance technique with philosophy? - What defines “real meaning” in visual art? A Different Perspective Technical skill alone may not foster true artistic insight ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Meaning of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-art/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [The real meaning of art lies behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-roa/the-real-meaning-of-art-lies-behind-it/) [Kendall Roa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-roa/) > [To help, to continually help and share, that is the sum of all knowledge; that is the meaning of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-help-to-continually-help-and-share-that-is-the-sum-of-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The meaning of art in a time of suffering, a time of war, is much more intense. 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That,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/one-would-expect-writers-and-artists-to-understand-one-another-better/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [I'm so in awe of what visual artists do and I do understand the differences of what visual artists do. I have a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-m-so-in-awe-of-what-visual-artists-do-and-i-do-understand-the/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I assumed from the outset that photography was already art, and that I and other people working in photography were artists. I understand now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-baltz/i-assumed-from-the-outset-that-photography-was-already-art-and-that-i/) [Lewis Baltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-baltz/) > [I meet young artists and it becomes clear that with some the main motivation is getting a show in Chelsea. 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We don't understand why the Provoke photographers showed Tokyo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-franklin/we-don-t-understand-what-photography-is-doing-we-don-t-understand-the/) [Stuart Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-franklin/) > [It has been important to me, as an historian of photography, to understand photography by photographing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beaumont-newhall/it-has-been-important-to-me-as-an-historian-of-photography-to/) [Beaumont Newhall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beaumont-newhall/) > [I am probably afraid that some spectator will not understand my photography - therefore I proceed to make it really less understandable by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-am-probably-afraid-that-some-spectator-will-not-understand-my/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More by Alfred Stieglitz > [The ability to make a truly artistic photograph is not acquired off-hand, but is the result of an artistic instinct coupled with years of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/the-ability-to-make-a-truly-artistic-photograph-is-not-acquired-off/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [I have all but killed myself for Photography. My passion for it is greater than ever. It's forty years that I have fought its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-have-all-but-killed-myself-for-photography-my-passion-for-it-is/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [If you can imagine photography in the guise of a woman and you’d ask her what she thought of Stieglitz, she’d say: He always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/if-you-can-imagine-photography-in-the-guise-of-a-woman-and-you-d-ask/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [Everything is relative except relatives, and they are absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/everything-is-relative-except-relatives-and-they-are-absolute/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [ A woman artist could be one of those intuitive geniuses \[who\] have kept their childlike spirit and have added to it breadth of vision… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/a-woman-artist-could-be-one-of-those-intuitive-geniuses-who-have-kept/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [I was sad to leave Europe in 1890, after my student days in Germany... But then, once back in New York, I experienced an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-was-sad-to-leave-europe-in-1890-after-my-student-days-in-germany/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs look like photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/photographers-must-learn-not-to-be-ashamed-to-have-their-photographs/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [As a matter of fact, nearly all the greatest work is being, and has always been done, by those who are following photography for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/as-a-matter-of-fact-nearly-all-the-greatest-work-is-being-and-has/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [The goal of art was the vital expression of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/the-goal-of-art-was-the-vital-expression-of-self/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [“Photography is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/photography-is-a-reality-so-subtle-that-it-becomes-more-real-than/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [Photography my passion, the search for truth, my obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/photography-my-passion-the-search-for-truth-my-obsession/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [My cloud photographs are equivalents of my most profound life experiences, my basic philosophy of life. All art is an equivalent of the artist’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/my-cloud-photographs-are-equivalents-of-my-most-profound-life/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [Photography as a fad is well-nigh on its last legs, thanks principally to the bicycle craze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/photography-as-a-fad-is-well-nigh-on-its-last-legs-thanks-principally/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [Wherever there is light, one can photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/wherever-there-is-light-one-can-photograph/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [I was born in Hoboken. I am an American. Photography is my passion. The search for Truth my obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-was-born-in-hoboken-i-am-an-american-photography-is-my-passion-the/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) [Explore all 49 Alfred Stieglitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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 > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before the people at large, and for that matter, the artists themselves, understand what photography really means, as I understand that term, it is essential for them to be taught the real meaning of art.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Stieglitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that-matter-the-artists-themselves/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that-matter-the-artists-themselves/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/alfred-stieglitz-13773_art_before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that_380618.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before the people at large, and for that matter, the artists themselves, understand what photography really…” — Alfred Stieglitz", "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": "Alfred Stieglitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before the people at large, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that-matter-the-artists-themselves/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/before-the-people-at-large-and-for-that-matter-the-artists-themselves/#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 } } ] } ```