--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was always involved in art and when I…" description: "\"I was always involved in art and when I went under contract at Warner Bros. at 18, it afforded me the possibility of never having to stop painting, nev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg" --- # I was always involved in art and when I went under… ![“I was always involved in art and when I went under contract at Warner Bros. at 18, it afforded me the possibility of never having to stop painting, never having to stop taking photographs and so on, and to actually live a cultural life.” quote by Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg) > “I was always involved in art and when I went under contract at Warner Bros. at 18, it afforded me the possibility of never having to stop painting, never having to stop taking photographs and so on, and to actually live a cultural life.” [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A contract with a major studio enabled continuous artistic creation, allowing a lifelong cultural existence. **In simple terms:** Studio contract enabled constant art. Key Takeaway Seek supportive environments. Themes art career culture freedom Mood reflective inspirational Type cultural career When to use this quote - film - photography - painting - personal branding Key Concepts creative freedom industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance commerce and creativity? - What environments nurture sustained art? A Different Perspective Commercial ties may limit artistic independence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-went-2597683/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bros/) [Contract Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract-warner-3295893/) [Contracts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contracts/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Involved Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved-art-600541/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Warner bros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warner-bros/) ## Related quotes > [This 'Pighammer' record is supposed to be a side project. And it just so happens that at the same time I'm recording this record,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-static/this-pighammer-record-is-supposed-to-be-a-side-project-and-it-just-so/) [Wayne Static](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-static/) > [When I was getting started, I was so busy just fighting my way through, and I was under contract at Warner Brothers. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/when-i-was-getting-started-i-was-so-busy-just-fighting-my-way-through/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [Today Washington is our Hollywood, the Senate our Warner Bros., the White House our Beverly Hills. People who never read a line of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/today-washington-is-our-hollywood-the-senate-our-warner-bros-the/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Some people have made a fortune by being employed. Jerry Bruckheimer does not own his content. Warner Bros. owns his shows. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-blodget/some-people-have-made-a-fortune-by-being-employed-jerry-bruckheimer/) [Henry Blodget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-blodget/) > [You see a Clint Eastwood movie, and you might not know if it's from Universal or Warner Bros. or another studio. He has affiliations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/you-see-a-clint-eastwood-movie-and-you-might-not-know-if-it-s-from/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [I come from a visual background. I used to work in the camera department at Warner Bros. when I was a teenager. I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/i-come-from-a-visual-background-i-used-to-work-in-the-camera/) [Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/) > [I gave up on the big screen. The Witching Hour was at Warner Bros. for 10 years and it just didn't work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-gave-up-on-the-big-screen-the-witching-hour-was-at-warner-bros-for/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I was influenced by Ray Harryhausen and Lotte Reiniger, with her twitchy, cutout animation, which I happened to see at a very young age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/i-was-influenced-by-ray-harryhausen-and-lotte-reiniger-with-her/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [Warner Bros offered me the next Batman, and the only reason that I didn't do it was because of The Saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/warner-bros-offered-me-the-next-batman-and-the-only-reason-that-i/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I've proven that I'm not a complete failure. Every film has done well. It's like, "So, okay, when do I get my deal at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/i-ve-proven-that-i-m-not-a-complete-failure-every-film-has-done-well/) [Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/) > [When I was born, they didn't work. They're broken, the nerves in my lower left lip. When I was kid, I would talk out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-ventimiglia/when-i-was-born-they-didn-t-work-they-re-broken-the-nerves-in-my/) [Milo Ventimiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-ventimiglia/) > [We've played producers almost our entire lives in everything else we've created. But when working on a feature and even dealing with something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kate-olsen/we-ve-played-producers-almost-our-entire-lives-in-everything-else-we/) [Mary-Kate Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kate-olsen/) > [I'm so lucky that 'The Vampire Diaries' happened. I'm so lucky that Warner Bros. pays me money. You have no idea. I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-williamson/i-m-so-lucky-that-the-vampire-diaries-happened-i-m-so-lucky-that/) [Kevin Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-williamson/) > [It's hard to describe to people how terrible it was when you could only watch cartoons at a certain time in your life. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/it-s-hard-to-describe-to-people-how-terrible-it-was-when-you-could/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [When I came back to it, we amicably separated from Warner Bros. I just picked up where I left off, trying to write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/when-i-came-back-to-it-we-amicably-separated-from-warner-bros-i-just/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) ## More by Dennis Hopper > [The best and only authentic book written on the sixties underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-best-and-only-authentic-book-written-on-the-sixties-underground/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [When some people were going around being surf bums and tennis bums, I was being a gallery bum. I really liked galleries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/when-some-people-were-going-around-being-surf-bums-and-tennis-bums-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I used to have to wear a gas mask to school when I was a kid because of the dust. I would tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-used-to-have-to-wear-a-gas-mask-to-school-when-i-was-a-kid-because/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I did a video with Mick Jagger down in Rio de Janeiro. But I played a video director, and that's the closest I've gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-did-a-video-with-mick-jagger-down-in-rio-de-janeiro-but-i-played-a/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Like all artists, I want to cheat death a little and contribute something to the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/like-all-artists-i-want-to-cheat-death-a-little-and-contribute/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I'm just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City, Kansas. And I always thought that acting was art, writing was art, music was art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-kansas-and-i-always/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [You know, this is such a rich time that we've just been involved in, and there's really a job now for historians. Film is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/you-know-this-is-such-a-rich-time-that-we-ve-just-been-involved-in/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-am-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-and-my-grandparents/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ The inside of the Pentagon is an incredible place and a dramatic set. We do \[travel\] outside, but the inside workings of the civilian… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-inside-of-the-pentagon-is-an-incredible-place-and-a-dramatic-set/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best-acting-job-i-can-do-under/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [... I'm sort of a nervous person with the camera, so I will just shoot arbitrarily until I can focus and compose something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-sort-of-a-nervous-person-with-the-camera-so-i-will-just-shoot/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ \[After Easy Rider\] I couldn't get another movie, so I lived in Mexico City for a couple of years. I lived in Paris for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/after-easy-rider-i-couldn-t-get-another-movie-so-i-lived-in-mexico/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Society loves to put bubbles up there and pop them, and I resent it. I'd rather expose myself myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/society-loves-to-put-bubbles-up-there-and-pop-them-and-i-resent-it-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [My whole written history is one big lie! I mean, I can't even believe my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/my-whole-written-history-is-one-big-lie-i-mean-i-can-t-even-believe/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Banks wont even loan each other money, everybody's going broke, and here we are inside here, these people are going to be out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/banks-wont-even-loan-each-other-money-everybody-s-going-broke-and/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) [Explore all 76 Dennis Hopper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I was always involved in art and when I went under contract at Warner Bros. at 18, it afforded me the possibility of never having to stop painting, never having to stop taking photographs and so on, and to actually live a cultural life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Hopper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i-went-under-contract-at-warner/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i-went-under-contract-at-warner/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/dennis-hopper-8988_art_i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i_1969172.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was always involved in art and when I went under contract at Warner Bros. at 18, it afforded me the…” — Dennis Hopper", "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": "Dennis Hopper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was always involved in art...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i-went-under-contract-at-warner/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-always-involved-in-art-and-when-i-went-under-contract-at-warner/#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 } } ] } ```