--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never good at painting. The great…" description: "\"I was never good at painting. The great turning point came when I had a block of wood and I carved a shape into the wood and put a small piece of timbe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/carl-andre-12004_artist_i-was-never-good-at-painting-the-great-t_2550308.jpg" --- # I was never good at painting. The great turning point came… ![“I was never good at painting. The great turning point came when I had a block of wood and I carved a shape into the wood and put a small piece of timber into that space - like a negative - and so it made an endless column, only inward.” quote by Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/carl-andre-12004_artist_i-was-never-good-at-painting-the-great-t_2550308.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/carl-andre-12004_artist_i-was-never-good-at-painting-the-great-t_2550308.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/carl-andre-12004_artist_i-was-never-good-at-painting-the-great-t_2550308.jpg) > “I was never good at painting. The great turning point came when I had a block of wood and I carved a shape into the wood and put a small piece of timber into that space - like a negative - and so it made an endless column, only inward.” [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A simple wooden sculpture demonstrates that negative space can generate infinite inward depth, redefining material limits. **In simple terms:** Negative space creates endless depth. Key Takeaway Explore emptiness as a creative force. Themes art material space depth process Mood contemplative inspirational Type artistic educational When to use this quote - sculpture design - architectural modeling - educational workshops - creative problem solving Key Concepts negative space materiality infinite regress Questions to Reflect On - What does “inward” mean in visual art? - How can emptiness be felt physically? A Different Perspective Relying on negative space may limit tactile engagement for some viewers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Turning point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-point/) [Turning points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-points/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [“You can't shape people, just like you can't shape wood. You've got to find the heart and work from there. 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It depends on who holds the brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/rock-roll-is-like-a-painting-can-great-paintings-still-be-done-it/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [A great painting is a great painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-poons/a-great-painting-is-a-great-painting/) [Larry Poons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-poons/) > [Each part of a great painting should in itself be a great painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-brown/each-part-of-a-great-painting-should-in-itself-be-a-great-painting/) [Melissa Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-brown/) > [“There are two ways of reasoning about painting: how to do it and how not to do it; how to d it with great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/there-are-two-ways-of-reasoning-about-painting-how-to-do-it-and-how/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/objective-painting-is-not-good-painting-unless-it-is-good-in-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [It often takes two to do a good painting - one to paint it, and another to rap the painter smartly with a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schmid/it-often-takes-two-to-do-a-good-painting-one-to-paint-it-and-another/) [Richard Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schmid/) > [All my life I have worked to be able to earn my living, but I thought that one could do good painting without attracting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/all-my-life-i-have-worked-to-be-able-to-earn-my-living-but-i-thought/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [“You paint from your subject, not what you see…I rarely paint anything I don’t know very well. 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We seldom really see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/what-is-the-use-of-good-painting-we-want-a-spell-cast-upon-the/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [Anything is good painting material once you get to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/anything-is-good-painting-material-once-you-get-to-know-it/) [David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/) > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) ## More by Carl Andre > [The girls you picked up from the bars were not the girls you took home to mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/the-girls-you-picked-up-from-the-bars-were-not-the-girls-you-took/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [I think it was Henry Moore who was asked where he got his ideas for his sculptures, and he said something like, "I continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-think-it-was-henry-moore-who-was-asked-where-he-got-his-ideas-for/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [I didn't like men because they were so physically competitive. Men are always making a pecking order. "I can beat you up and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-didn-t-like-men-because-they-were-so-physically-competitive-men-are/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [An artist, to achieve anything in art, has to finally do the thing that nobody else wants to do and nobody else has thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/an-artist-to-achieve-anything-in-art-has-to-finally-do-the-thing-that/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [What I made depended on what I found on the street. At least in the beginning, my materials came from the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/what-i-made-depended-on-what-i-found-on-the-street-at-least-in-the/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [Americans understand better than the Europeans and the English that any publicity is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/americans-understand-better-than-the-europeans-and-the-english-that/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [When I came to New York, it was cheap!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/when-i-came-to-new-york-it-was-cheap/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [The wood was better before I cut it, than after. I did not improve it in any way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/the-wood-was-better-before-i-cut-it-than-after-i-did-not-improve-it/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [Lenin thought abstract art was a conspiracy by the bourgeois to demoralize the proletariat. Yeah, socialist realism!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/lenin-thought-abstract-art-was-a-conspiracy-by-the-bourgeois-to/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [Money is a very complicated problem. The history of money is very curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/money-is-a-very-complicated-problem-the-history-of-money-is-very/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [I grew up in a brick house. What's wrong with bricks? An Englishman took me aside and said, "You have to understand, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-grew-up-in-a-brick-house-what-s-wrong-with-bricks-an-englishman/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [I never stopped doing what I did as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-never-stopped-doing-what-i-did-as-a-child/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [Every time you work, you have to do it all over again, to rid yourself of this dross. I suppose for a person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/every-time-you-work-you-have-to-do-it-all-over-again-to-rid-yourself/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [A place is an area within an environment that has been altered in such a way to make the general environment more conspicuous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/a-place-is-an-area-within-an-environment-that-has-been-altered-in/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [I'm a feminist. I've always been in favor of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/i-m-a-feminist-i-ve-always-been-in-favor-of-women/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) [Explore all 57 Carl Andre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) ## 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": "I was never good at painting. 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