--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I left the Royal College, I decided…" description: "\"When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life.\" — Chris Ofili" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png" --- # When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make… ![“When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life.” quote by Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png) > “When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life.” [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He chose to create only paintings he would personally appreciate, aligning art with his lived experience. **In simple terms:** Make art that resonates personally. Key Takeaway Create work you love. Themes authenticity personal vision artistic integrity Mood introspective creative Type artistic personal When to use this quote - gallery shows - personal projects - creative workshops Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy self-expression Questions to Reflect On - What subjects inspire you? - How do you stay true to your vision? A Different Perspective Commercial pressures may conflict with personal taste. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [I want the viewer to be overwhelmed. 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In part, I managed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-schapiro/when-i-look-back-on-the-years-of-excessive-self-doubt-i-wonder-how-i/) Miriam Schapiro > [A photo is like a map, a way of giving me a foot into a kind of reality I want... 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They see themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-just-hope-that-when-black-people-look-at-me-they-don-t-see-someone/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [Sometimes, as I feel a door or an exit point in my work is closing, I'll try to create an opening so as not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/sometimes-as-i-feel-a-door-or-an-exit-point-in-my-work-is-closing-i/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [I'm black, and it's a very important part of what I am. I'm not embarrassed about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-m-black-and-it-s-a-very-important-part-of-what-i-am-i-m-not/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [The studio is a place where I can experiment before I'm prepared for an idea to become a body of work, or a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/the-studio-is-a-place-where-i-can-experiment-before-i-m-prepared-for/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [The studio is a laboratory, not a factory. An exhibition is the result of your experiments, but the process is never-ending. So an exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/the-studio-is-a-laboratory-not-a-factory-an-exhibition-is-the-result/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [I wouldn't say even that I'm a broadly political person. But on occasion, I have felt that I have no choice but to paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-wouldn-t-say-even-that-i-m-a-broadly-political-person-but-on/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [There's a magic that comes from playing entirely to who you are. I've got my specialist subject - in the Mastermind sense - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/there-s-a-magic-that-comes-from-playing-entirely-to-who-you-are-i-ve/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [I was brought up a Catholic and was an altar boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-was-brought-up-a-catholic-and-was-an-altar-boy/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [Change is not indecision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/change-is-not-indecision/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [I don't quite know how the urban music category came about, but I suspect it had something to do with trying to maximise sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-don-t-quite-know-how-the-urban-music-category-came-about-but-i/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [We all studied math, but we don't go around spewing numbers. Religion should be used in the appropriate way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/we-all-studied-math-but-we-don-t-go-around-spewing-numbers-religion/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [There was a point in time where the thought of people even talking about me made me anxious. Physically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/there-was-a-point-in-time-where-the-thought-of-people-even-talking/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) [Explore all 36 Chris Ofili quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) ## 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": "When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close to my life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chris Ofili" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided-i-would-only-make-paintings/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided-i-would-only-make-paintings/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/chris-ofili-17669_artist_when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided_472536.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself…” — Chris Ofili", "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": "Chris Ofili", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I left the Royal College,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided-i-would-only-make-paintings/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided-i-would-only-make-paintings/#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 } } ] } ```