---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In aristocratic societies, rich people…"
description: "\"In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission exquisite paintings for their walls.\" — Brad Holland"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg"
---

#  In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission…

![“In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission exquisite paintings for their walls.” quote by Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg)

> “In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission exquisite paintings for their walls.”

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

## About This Quote

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

Historically, wealthy patrons commissioned fine art to display status and taste.

**In simple terms:** Rich people funded art for prestige.

Key Takeaway

Support the arts to reflect values.

Themes

art patronage wealth culture history

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

historical cultural

When to use this quote

- museum curation
- private collections
- public murals
- corporate art programs

Key Concepts

social status aesthetic taste economic power

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people fund art today?
- What does art reveal about its patrons?

A Different Perspective

Modern funding sources differ from aristocratic patronage.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aristocratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocratic/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rich people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-people/) [Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/societies/)

## Related quotes

> [“In our civilized societies we are rich. Why then are the many poor? Why this painful drudgery for the masses? Why, even to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-kropotkin/in-our-civilized-societies-we-are-rich-why-then-are-the-many-poor-why/)

[Pyotr Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-kropotkin/)

> [The truth is, we haven't really figured out yet how artists are going to thrive in modern mass societies. We're all experiments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/the-truth-is-we-haven-t-really-figured-out-yet-how-artists-are-going/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/though-with-the-ascendancy-of-louis-the-political-power-of-the-nobles/)

[Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/)

> [When we consider the close connection between science and industrial development on the one hand, and between literary and aesthetic cultivation and an aristocratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/when-we-consider-the-close-connection-between-science-and-industrial/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [You are the only woman who has a sense of gaiety, a wise tolerance - no more, you seem to urge me to betray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-are-the-only-woman-who-has-a-sense-of-gaiety-a-wise-tolerance-no/)

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

> [“He admired her for throwing off her aristocratic shackles -- his terms, that -- and making her own way in the world. He didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/he-admired-her-for-throwing-off-her-aristocratic-shackles-his-terms/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [The old idea that the joke was not good enough for the company has been superseded by the new aristocratic idea that the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-old-idea-that-the-joke-was-not-good-enough-for-the-company-has/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [I do keep getting these bad girl roles. The funny thing is that, honestly, I don't think I'm believable as these aristocratic mean girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgrath/i-do-keep-getting-these-bad-girl-roles-the-funny-thing-is-that/)

[Katie McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgrath/)

> [History is the most aristocratic of all literary pursuits, because it obliges the historian to be rich as well as educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/history-is-the-most-aristocratic-of-all-literary-pursuits-because-it/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [“The truth was that, with the Duchess de Luxembourg, with Mme de Morienval, Mme de Saint-Euverte and any number of others, the features that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-truth-was-that-with-the-duchess-de-luxembourg-with-mme-de/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [One main condition of aristocratic life was present in the South and not in the North--personal responsibility to other human beings for education and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/one-main-condition-of-aristocratic-life-was-present-in-the-south-and/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [It will be said that the joy of mental adventure must be rare, that there are few who can appreciate it, and that ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-will-be-said-that-the-joy-of-mental-adventure-must-be-rare-that/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/)

[Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/)

> [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/)

[Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/)

> [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## More by Brad Holland

> [All the other kids in ninth grade were drawing hot rods and cocker spaniels and getting blue ribbons in art class. I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/all-the-other-kids-in-ninth-grade-were-drawing-hot-rods-and-cocker/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [If they were starting their careers today, Rockwell and Picasso would probably both be painting on black velvet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/if-they-were-starting-their-careers-today-rockwell-and-picasso-would/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Political art expresses the cliches you agree with, unlike propaganda, which expresses the cliches you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/political-art-expresses-the-cliches-you-agree-with-unlike-propaganda/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Futurism: This was a movement of intellectuals who wanted to replace tradition with the modern world of machinery, speed, violence, and public relations. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/futurism-this-was-a-movement-of-intellectuals-who-wanted-to-replace/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [In America, the only truly popular art form is the movies. Most people consider painting a hobby and literature, schoolwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-america-the-only-truly-popular-art-form-is-the-movies-most-people/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Many of the contradictions in Postmodern art come from the fact that we're trying to be artists in a democratic society. This is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/many-of-the-contradictions-in-postmodern-art-come-from-the-fact-that/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Many people decorate their homes with designer graffiti, even though most of them would probably have real graffiti scoured off the walls of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/many-people-decorate-their-homes-with-designer-graffiti-even-though/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [In Modernism, reality used to validate media. In Postmodernism, the media validate reality. If you don't believe this, just think how many times you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-modernism-reality-used-to-validate-media-in-postmodernism-the/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Art imitates life. Life imitates high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/art-imitates-life-life-imitates-high-school/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Your biggest influences are the earliest ones. When I was young, I was very influenced by the short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/your-biggest-influences-are-the-earliest-ones-when-i-was-young-i-was/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Style is the most valuable asset of the modern artist. That's probably why so many styles are reported lost or stolen each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/style-is-the-most-valuable-asset-of-the-modern-artist-that-s-probably/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Fifty years ago, it was the dream of every bohemian artist to be seen getting out of a limousine wearing blue jeans and sneakers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/fifty-years-ago-it-was-the-dream-of-every-bohemian-artist-to-be-seen/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Postmodernists believe that truth is myth, and myth, truth. This equation has its roots in pop psychology. The same people also believe that emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/postmodernists-believe-that-truth-is-myth-and-myth-truth-this/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [I don't get ideas, I have them. The trick is to remember where I've put them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/i-don-t-get-ideas-i-have-them-the-trick-is-to-remember-where-i-ve-put/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [Cubism is still the most important art movement for the same reason that John D. is still the most important Rockefeller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/cubism-is-still-the-most-important-art-movement-for-the-same-reason/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

[Explore all 24 Brad Holland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

## More Aristocratic quotes

> [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/)

[Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/)

> [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/)

[Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/)

> [It will be said that the joy of mental adventure must be rare, that there are few who can appreciate it, and that ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-will-be-said-that-the-joy-of-mental-adventure-must-be-rare-that/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [One main condition of aristocratic life was present in the South and not in the North--personal responsibility to other human beings for education and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/one-main-condition-of-aristocratic-life-was-present-in-the-south-and/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“The truth was that, with the Duchess de Luxembourg, with Mme de Morienval, Mme de Saint-Euverte and any number of others, the features that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-truth-was-that-with-the-duchess-de-luxembourg-with-mme-de/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [History is the most aristocratic of all literary pursuits, because it obliges the historian to be rich as well as educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/history-is-the-most-aristocratic-of-all-literary-pursuits-because-it/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [I do keep getting these bad girl roles. The funny thing is that, honestly, I don't think I'm believable as these aristocratic mean girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgrath/i-do-keep-getting-these-bad-girl-roles-the-funny-thing-is-that/)

[Katie McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgrath/)

> [The old idea that the joke was not good enough for the company has been superseded by the new aristocratic idea that the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-old-idea-that-the-joke-was-not-good-enough-for-the-company-has/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“He admired her for throwing off her aristocratic shackles -- his terms, that -- and making her own way in the world. He didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/he-admired-her-for-throwing-off-her-aristocratic-shackles-his-terms/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [You are the only woman who has a sense of gaiety, a wise tolerance - no more, you seem to urge me to betray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-are-the-only-woman-who-has-a-sense-of-gaiety-a-wise-tolerance-no/)

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

> [When we consider the close connection between science and industrial development on the one hand, and between literary and aesthetic cultivation and an aristocratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/when-we-consider-the-close-connection-between-science-and-industrial/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/though-with-the-ascendancy-of-louis-the-political-power-of-the-nobles/)

[Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/)

> [Politics of all sorts, I confess, are far beyond my limited powers of comprehension. Those of this country as far as I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/politics-of-all-sorts-i-confess-are-far-beyond-my-limited-powers-of/)

[Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/)

> [The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-surface-of-american-society-is-covered-with-a-layer-of-democratic/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

[Browse all 99 Aristocratic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocratic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission exquisite paintings for their walls.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brad Holland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-used-to-commission-exquisite/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aristocratic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-used-to-commission-exquisite/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/brad-holland-24482_aristocratic_in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-us_315269.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In aristocratic societies, rich people used to commission exquisite paintings for their walls.” — Brad Holland",
                "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": "Brad Holland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In aristocratic societies, rich people used...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-used-to-commission-exquisite/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-aristocratic-societies-rich-people-used-to-commission-exquisite/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```