--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking…" description: "\"I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and the soup can was it.\" — Andy Warhol" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/andy-warhol-746_artist_i-wanted-to-paint-nothing-i-was-looking_2674065.jpg" --- # I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something… ![“I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and the soup can was it.” quote by Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/andy-warhol-746_artist_i-wanted-to-paint-nothing-i-was-looking_2674065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/andy-warhol-746_artist_i-wanted-to-paint-nothing-i-was-looking_2674065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/763/andy-warhol-746_artist_i-wanted-to-paint-nothing-i-was-looking_2674065.jpg) > “I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and the soup can was it.” [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to capture “nothing” led to using a soup can, symbolizing the essence of emptiness. **In simple terms:** Finding the essence of nothing through a soup can. Key Takeaway Embrace simplicity to express profound ideas. Themes artistic minimalism conceptual art symbolism Mood creative introspective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - product design - branding - visual communication Key Concepts nothingness consumer culture visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How can minimalism convey depth? - What everyday object could become symbolic? A Different Perspective Simplicity may be misinterpreted as lack of effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Essence Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence-soup-2525684/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-looking-2525685/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soup/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-paint-499736/) ## Related quotes > [All I can say is that when I paint, I am looking at things that are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-neel/all-i-can-say-is-that-when-i-paint-i-am-looking-at-things-that-are-in/) [Elizabeth Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-neel/) > [I've met a lot of artists who wanted to paint me. LeRoy Neiman was one. He did it from a photograph. He made 20,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-ve-met-a-lot-of-artists-who-wanted-to-paint-me-leroy-neiman-was-one/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Black ink was always my favorite. I loved it. And then one day I realized that the only thing I ever wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/black-ink-was-always-my-favorite-i-loved-it-and-then-one-day-i/) [Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/) > [When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/when-you-thought-i-wasn-t-looking-i-saw-you-hang-my-first-painting-on/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [At eight, he had once told his mother that he wanted to paint air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/at-eight-he-had-once-told-his-mother-that-he-wanted-to-paint-air/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Maybe I am not very human - what I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/maybe-i-am-not-very-human-what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [“He wanted the world to be the color of his dreams, wanted to paint in primary colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-bauer/he-wanted-the-world-to-be-the-color-of-his-dreams-wanted-to-paint-in/) [Tal Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-bauer/) > [“I wanted to paint a picture, in indelible print, across the canvass of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-in-indelible-print-across-the-canvass-of/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [Before becoming an actor I kind of just wanted to paint and live somewhere and do something low-key and artistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-reedus/before-becoming-an-actor-i-kind-of-just-wanted-to-paint-and-live/) [Norman Reedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-reedus/) > [I decided that what I really wanted to do was go off and paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/i-decided-that-what-i-really-wanted-to-do-was-go-off-and-paint/) [Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/) > [I suppose all along all I ever really wanted to do was paint people. That never changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-joffe/i-suppose-all-along-all-i-ever-really-wanted-to-do-was-paint-people/) [Chantal Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-joffe/) > [I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-that-people-would-stand-before/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [I cannot say why I wanted to paint.The only answer is in the pictures themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oskar-kokoschka/i-cannot-say-why-i-wanted-to-paint-the-only-answer-is-in-the-pictures/) [Oskar Kokoschka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oskar-kokoschka/) > [What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight-on-the-side-of-a-house/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [I just wanted to paint and sketch and tell stories by drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-just-wanted-to-paint-and-sketch-and-tell-stories-by-drawing/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) ## More by Andy Warhol > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I used to cut out paper dolls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-used-to-cut-out-paper-dolls/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Years later, I figured out why he (Ivan Karp) was such a successful art dealer-this may sound strange, but I believe it was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/years-later-i-figured-out-why-he-ivan-karp-was-such-a-successful-art/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [“I think everybody should be nice to everybody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-think-everybody-should-be-nice-to-everybody/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I don't believe people die. They just go uptown. To Bloomingdales. They just take longer to get back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-don-t-believe-people-die-they-just-go-uptown-to-bloomingdales-they/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [So today if you see a person who looks like your teenage fantasy walking down the street, it's probably not your fantasy, but someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/so-today-if-you-see-a-person-who-looks-like-your-teenage-fantasy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I can't give parties. It's so hard. When I want to call somebody up for dinner they think I'm using them or something. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-can-t-give-parties-it-s-so-hard-when-i-want-to-call-somebody-up-for/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Sometimes the little times you don't think are anything while they're happening turn out to be what marks a whole period of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/sometimes-the-little-times-you-don-t-think-are-anything-while-they-re/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I never fall apart, because I never fall together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-never-fall-apart-because-i-never-fall-together/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I believe in low lights and trick mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-believe-in-low-lights-and-trick-mirrors/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Human beings are born solitary, but everywhere they are in chains - daisy chains - of interactivity. Social actions are makeshift forms, often courageous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/human-beings-are-born-solitary-but-everywhere-they-are-in-chains/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [So many people seem to prefer my silver-screenings of movie stars to the rest of my work. It must be the subject matter that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/so-many-people-seem-to-prefer-my-silver-screenings-of-movie-stars-to/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Explore all 380 Andy Warhol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 wanted to paint nothing. 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