--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as Renaissance artists provided…" description: "\"Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg" --- # Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the… ![“Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I first picked up a camera.” quote by David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg) > “Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I first picked up a camera.” [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists, like photographers, create narratives that reflect their era, looking beyond surface appearances. **In simple terms:** Artists tell deeper stories about their time. Key Takeaway Explore deeper meanings beyond obvious visuals. Themes art culture perception Mood curious analytical Type creative critical When to use this quote - photography - museum curation - media analysis - education - social commentary Key Concepts visual storytelling historical context Questions to Reflect On - How do you uncover hidden layers in art? - What does this image reveal about its time? A Different Perspective Surface-level interpretation can miss nuanced messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Era](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/era/) [Eras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eras/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Renaissance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance/) [Renaissance art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance-art/) ## Related quotes > [Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/keep-looking-below-surface-appearances-don-t-shrink-from-doing-so/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If theory is the role of the architect, then such beautiful proofs are the role of the craftsman. Of course, as with the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atiyah/if-theory-is-the-role-of-the-architect-then-such-beautiful-proofs-are/) [Michael Atiyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atiyah/) > [Most of the songs I write are full of power, and I'm suspecting it may come from my love for grotesque Renaissance art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid/most-of-the-songs-i-write-are-full-of-power-and-i-m-suspecting-it-may/) [Sigrid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid/) > [I'm looking to evolve the concept of the new renaissance artist, taking the world by storm through the art of public display and demonstration,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-farrell/i-m-looking-to-evolve-the-concept-of-the-new-renaissance-artist/) [Perry Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-farrell/) > [I'm a huge fan of Renaissance art. It's very direct. They're paintings that hit you in the face in the same immediate way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-renaissance-art-it-s-very-direct-they-re-paintings/) [Sigrid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid/) > [When I was young, I was interested in Renaissance art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/when-i-was-young-i-was-interested-in-renaissance-art/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [I don't think I am going to do pictures which are anything like Renaissance art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-don-t-think-i-am-going-to-do-pictures-which-are-anything-like/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Last time I checked, there were no Americans at all in Renaissance art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/last-time-i-checked-there-were-no-americans-at-all-in-renaissance-art/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a non-Catholic, and since I was a child, I have been obsessed with the ritual and the beauty of Catholic art. I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/as-a-non-catholic-and-since-i-was-a-child-i-have-been-obsessed-with/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Traditional Chinese art looked at the Earth from a Confucian mountain top; Japanese art looked closely around screens; Italian Renaissance art surveyed conquered nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/traditional-chinese-art-looked-at-the-earth-from-a-confucian-mountain/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [The things that I look at include Renaissance art. I'm obsessed with churches and paintings of saints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/the-things-that-i-look-at-include-renaissance-art-i-m-obsessed-with/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Many of my family members are teachers in the arts, and I picked up the camera years ago, in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/many-of-my-family-members-are-teachers-in-the-arts-and-i-picked-up/) [Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/) > [I've picked a camera up a few times. I remember buying my first camera when I was about 18 and really going wild with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/i-ve-picked-a-camera-up-a-few-times-i-remember-buying-my-first-camera/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [It wasn't like I picked a camera up in 1989 and stopped making music. I picked a camera up and found another form of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/it-wasn-t-like-i-picked-a-camera-up-in-1989-and-stopped-making-music/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-parks/i-picked-up-a-camera-because-it-was-my-choice-of-weapons-against-what/) [Gordon Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-parks/) ## More by David LaChapelle > [My biggest advice would be to take the pictures you want to take. Don’t think about the marketplace, what sells or what an editor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-biggest-advice-would-be-to-take-the-pictures-you-want-to-take-don/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [ Michael \[Jackson\] had paintings of himself at Neverland depicting himself as a knight and surrounded by cherubs and angels. People might think he's an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/michael-jackson-had-paintings-of-himself-at-neverland-depicting/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [My idea was that if I took a picture of somebody and years later, or whenever, they would die and if someone wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-idea-was-that-if-i-took-a-picture-of-somebody-and-years-later-or/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I love fashion, beauty, glamour. It's the mark of civilisation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-love-fashion-beauty-glamour-it-s-the-mark-of-civilisation/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I like the consistency of having people in my life for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-like-the-consistency-of-having-people-in-my-life-for-a-long-time/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [My dream since I was a kid was to show in a gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-dream-since-i-was-a-kid-was-to-show-in-a-gallery/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [People get devalued in Hollywood when they age, despite all their efforts to stay relevant and beautiful and young. They can't get jobs anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/people-get-devalued-in-hollywood-when-they-age-despite-all-their/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I like the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas more than the actual one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-like-the-eiffel-tower-in-las-vegas-more-than-the-actual-one/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I'm not condemning the Catholic Church - it's too big, it's like condemning a nation and that would be prejudiced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-m-not-condemning-the-catholic-church-it-s-too-big-it-s-like/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [For me, it's easier to like more things than to dislike them; I'm not a critic in that sense. I find it easier to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/for-me-it-s-easier-to-like-more-things-than-to-dislike-them-i-m-not-a/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I'm part of what I consider the entertainment industry. For my photos to be entertaining, they have to be provocative and new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-m-part-of-what-i-consider-the-entertainment-industry-for-my-photos/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [My mother taught me a lot about respect for all living things - for plants and animals. I am a vegetarian. I was brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-mother-taught-me-a-lot-about-respect-for-all-living-things-for/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [We use fashion for status and to beautify and there's nothing wrong with that, but when it becomes completely unbalanced, then you're living a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/we-use-fashion-for-status-and-to-beautify-and-there-s-nothing-wrong/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [What I'm doing here is pointing out an irony: Here you have an institution that has systematically protected pedophile priests and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/what-i-m-doing-here-is-pointing-out-an-irony-here-you-have-an/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [The cruelty, war and violence, this is evil, wrong and dark and that's what we should hide from the children, not a human body!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/the-cruelty-war-and-violence-this-is-evil-wrong-and-dark-and-that-s/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) [Explore all 78 David LaChapelle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) ## 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": "Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I first picked up a camera.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David LaChapelle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-narratives-for-the-era-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-narratives-for-the-era-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/david-lachapelle-8697_art_just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-nar_3034386.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking…” — David LaChapelle", "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": "David LaChapelle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-narratives-for-the-era-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/just-as-renaissance-artists-provided-narratives-for-the-era-they/#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 } } ] } ```