--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, the way art history is taught…" description: "\"You know, the way art history is taught, often there's nothing that tells you why the painting is great. The description of a lousy painting and the de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/chuck-close-4781_art_you-know-the-way-art-history-is-taught-o_1928041.jpg" --- # You know, the way art history is taught, often there's… ![“You know, the way art history is taught, often there's nothing that tells you why the painting is great. The description of a lousy painting and the description of a great painting will very much sound the same.” quote by Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/chuck-close-4781_art_you-know-the-way-art-history-is-taught-o_1928041.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/chuck-close-4781_art_you-know-the-way-art-history-is-taught-o_1928041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/chuck-close-4781_art_you-know-the-way-art-history-is-taught-o_1928041.jpg) > “You know, the way art history is taught, often there's nothing that tells you why the painting is great. The description of a lousy painting and the description of a great painting will very much sound the same.” [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art history often fails to explain why a painting is great, making descriptions of good and bad works sound alike. **In simple terms:** Art history lacks clear criteria for greatness. Key Takeaway Seek deeper analysis beyond surface description. Themes art criticism perception education Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical educational When to use this quote - museum tours - art classes - gallery talks - curatorial work Key Concepts aesthetic judgment interpretive frameworks Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach criteria for evaluating art? - What deeper elements make a painting great? A Different Perspective Descriptions alone cannot capture artistic value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-history/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [You can always tell a great painting, because when you get close there are all these nervous marks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/you-can-always-tell-a-great-painting-because-when-you-get-close-there/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [If I could only have one more day, I could do a great painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hokusai/if-i-could-only-have-one-more-day-i-could-do-a-great-painting/) [Hokusai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hokusai/) > [A great painting or symphony or play, doesn't diminish us, but enlarges us, and we, too, want to make our own cry of affirmation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/a-great-painting-or-symphony-or-play-doesn-t-diminish-us-but-enlarges/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“And if what they say is true--if every great painting is really a self-portrait--what, if anything, is Fabritius saying about himself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-if-what-they-say-is-true-if-every-great-painting-is-really-a-self/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Approach a great painting as thou wouldst approach a great prince.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/approach-a-great-painting-as-thou-wouldst-approach-a-great-prince/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [What's great about it is that painting doesn't move. And so in the 21st century, when we're used to clicking and browsing and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/what-s-great-about-it-is-that-painting-doesn-t-move-and-so-in-the/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [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/) > [“We lived on 82nd Street and the Metropolitan Museum was my short cut to Central Park. I wrote: "I go into the museum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/we-lived-on-82nd-street-and-the-metropolitan-museum-was-my-short-cut/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You stand in front of a great painting and your heart just opens and your mind expands about what's possible. That, to me, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/you-stand-in-front-of-a-great-painting-and-your-heart-just-opens-and/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Just as no great painting has ever been created by a committee, no great vision has ever emerged from the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/just-as-no-great-painting-has-ever-been-created-by-a-committee-no/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [I really prize and love great painting. It's so out of date now. It's slightly come back in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-really-prize-and-love-great-painting-it-s-so-out-of-date-now-it-s/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [Nothing is as uplifting as standing before a great painting whether it was painted in 1505 or last Tuesday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-saatchi/nothing-is-as-uplifting-as-standing-before-a-great-painting-whether/) [Charles Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-saatchi/) > [I really prize and love great painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-really-prize-and-love-great-painting/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [“Every great painting includes hundreds of imperfect brushstrokes" Ray White”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-white/every-great-painting-includes-hundreds-of-imperfect-brushstrokes-ray/) Ray White ## More by Chuck Close > [While photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, it is the hardest in which to develop an idiosyncratic personal vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/while-photography-is-the-easiest-medium-in-which-to-be-competent-it/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Never let anyone define what you are capable of by using parameters that don’t apply to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/never-let-anyone-define-what-you-are-capable-of-by-using-parameters/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is highly overrated. If you sit around and wait for the clouds to part, it's not liable to ever happen. More often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-highly-overrated-if-you-sit-around-and-wait-for-the/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There's something Zen-like about the way I work - it's like raking gravel in a Zen Buddhist garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/there-s-something-zen-like-about-the-way-i-work-it-s-like-raking/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/painting-is-the-most-magical-of-mediums-the-transcendence-is-truly/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Every child should have a chance to feel special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/every-child-should-have-a-chance-to-feel-special/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [It's always a pleasure to talk about someone else's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/it-s-always-a-pleasure-to-talk-about-someone-else-s-work/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I absolutely hate technology, and I'm computer illiterate, and I never use any labor-saving devices although I'm not convinced that a computer is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-absolutely-hate-technology-and-i-m-computer-illiterate-and-i-never/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [In the 7th grade, I made a 20-foot long mural of the Lewis and Clark Trail while we were studying that in history because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/in-the-7th-grade-i-made-a-20-foot-long-mural-of-the-lewis-and-clark/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Ease is the enemy of the artist. When things get too easy, you're in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/ease-is-the-enemy-of-the-artist-when-things-get-too-easy-you-re-in/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I'm very learning-disabled, and I think it drove me to what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-m-very-learning-disabled-and-i-think-it-drove-me-to-what-i-m-doing/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [If it looks like art, chances are it's somebody else's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/if-it-looks-like-art-chances-are-it-s-somebody-else-s-art/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Paintings can make you cry and it's just \*\*colored dirt\*\*.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/paintings-can-make-you-cry-and-it-s-just-colored-dirt/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [You don't have to reinvent the wheel every day. Today you will do what you did yesterday, and tomorrow you will do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/you-don-t-have-to-reinvent-the-wheel-every-day-today-you-will-do-what/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) [Explore all 106 Chuck Close quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## 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": "You know, the way art history is taught, often there's nothing that tells you why the painting is great. 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