--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the early '60s, it was still a fairly…" description: "\"In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing, though, to say that you should take a painting, cut it, set it on fire, step on it, hammer n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg" --- # In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing… ![“In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing, though, to say that you should take a painting, cut it, set it on fire, step on it, hammer nails into it.” quote by Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg) > “In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing, though, to say that you should take a painting, cut it, set it on fire, step on it, hammer nails into it.” [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Challenging artistic norms through radical physical acts tests the limits of perception and authority. **In simple terms:** Destroying art tests boundaries. Key Takeaway Embrace bold, unconventional expression. Themes art rebellion creativity authority perception Mood provocative defiant experimental Type artistic manifesto performance critique When to use this quote - gallery openings - art school projects - public protests - personal creative crises Key Concepts conceptual art performance deconstruction cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What limits would you cross for artistic truth? - How does destruction create new meaning? A Different Perspective Such acts may alienate audiences or be dismissed as gimmickry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [I want to do the most subversive thing I couldn't do as a child: I want to take back the planet's future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-psihoyos/i-want-to-do-the-most-subversive-thing-i-couldn-t-do-as-a-child-i/) [Louie Psihoyos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-psihoyos/) > [The most subversive thing a woman can do is talk about her life as if it really matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/the-most-subversive-thing-a-woman-can-do-is-talk-about-her-life-as-if/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [When I see people making 'abstract' painting, I think it's just a dialogue and a dialogue isn't enough. That is to say, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-guston/when-i-see-people-making-abstract-painting-i-think-it-s-just-a/) [Philip Guston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-guston/) > [So many people say painting is fun. I don't find it fun at all. It's hard work for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/so-many-people-say-painting-is-fun-i-don-t-find-it-fun-at-all-it-s/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [You must put the essence of what you want to say into a painting. The rest is arbitrary. Chosen with discernment, but chosen, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/you-must-put-the-essence-of-what-you-want-to-say-into-a-painting-the/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [I would go so far as to say that a painting is narrative, because I have the moment where I approach it and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saschka-unseld/i-would-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-a-painting-is-narrative-because-i/) [Saschka Unseld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saschka-unseld/) > [Something sacred, that's it. We ought to be able to say that such and such a painting is as it is, with its capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/something-sacred-that-s-it-we-ought-to-be-able-to-say-that-such-and/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“You're getting better, my lady." "Don't patronize me." "No, really, Your Highness. When you started painting five years ago, I could never tell what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-re-getting-better-my-lady-don-t-patronize-me-no-really-your/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [The grown-up world was a very ordered society in the early '60s, and I was coming out of it. America was even more ordered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/the-grown-up-world-was-a-very-ordered-society-in-the-early-60s-and-i/) [Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/) > [My parents came over from Barbados in the late 1950s and early '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harewood/my-parents-came-over-from-barbados-in-the-late-1950s-and-early-60s/) [David Harewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harewood/) > [In the 50s and early 60s, community was incredibly important to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-tushingham/in-the-50s-and-early-60s-community-was-incredibly-important-to-people/) [Rita Tushingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-tushingham/) > [I was born in '74, so I missed out on all the great early '60s and early '70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/i-was-born-in-74-so-i-missed-out-on-all-the-great-early-60s-and-early/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) > [In retrospect, the political and cultural climate in the early '60s seems both a time of innocence and also like a sultry, still summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/in-retrospect-the-political-and-cultural-climate-in-the-early-60s/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [But in those days - in the mid-'50s, early '60s - there was less than 300 radio stations that were playing country music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-tillis/but-in-those-days-in-the-mid-50s-early-60s-there-was-less-than-300/) [Mel Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-tillis/) > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) ## More by Elvis Mitchell > [No actor has made a career of exerting determination to the extent that Matt Damon has. In the 'Bourne' movies, he burned himself down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/no-actor-has-made-a-career-of-exerting-determination-to-the-extent/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [There are storytelling traditions that come from Africa that are unique from anywhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/there-are-storytelling-traditions-that-come-from-africa-that-are/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [The world may not be ready yet for the film equivalent of books on tape, but this peculiar phenomenon has arrived in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-world-may-not-be-ready-yet-for-the-film-equivalent-of-books-on/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [What we're most aware of in 'Eight-Legged Freaks' is how similar it is to other movies, a recombinant mutated species itself, the product of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/what-we-re-most-aware-of-in-eight-legged-freaks-is-how-similar-it-is/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [Watching daring, high-tech criminals in action, I have the same thought that probably occurs to other moviegoers: if these guys just held on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/watching-daring-high-tech-criminals-in-action-i-have-the-same-thought/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [The influence of John Hughes is fully felt in the melodrama 'Donnie Darko.' This first film written and directed by Richard Kelly is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-influence-of-john-hughes-is-fully-felt-in-the-melodrama-donnie/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [Some people bring their work home with them. You might suppose that Sid Mashburn is one of those guys - the man was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/some-people-bring-their-work-home-with-them-you-might-suppose-that/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [In 'Requiem for a Dream,' the director Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s lower-depths novel, Jared Leto has lost so much weight, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-requiem-for-a-dream-the-director-darren-aronofsky-s-adaptation-of/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [That's a part of success: figuring out what success means to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/that-s-a-part-of-success-figuring-out-what-success-means-to-you/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [Miramax seems to be showing the same faith in Roberto Benigni's 'Pinocchio' that the Republican Party showed in Trent Lott; the live-action version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/miramax-seems-to-be-showing-the-same-faith-in-roberto-benigni-s/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [The Ebert thing just didn't work out. We just couldn't, like, come to an agreement. And 'Movieline', they obviously didn't want me, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-ebert-thing-just-didn-t-work-out-we-just-couldn-t-like-come-to-an/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [I've been cheered by the reaction to what I've done with Film Independent at LACMA and the organizational support I've received in pursuing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/i-ve-been-cheered-by-the-reaction-to-what-i-ve-done-with-film/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [If Mr. Chan ever makes another movie like 'The Tuxedo,' it's American audiences that will see him in court. With 'Shanghai Knights,' he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/if-mr-chan-ever-makes-another-movie-like-the-tuxedo-it-s-american/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [In Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann takes the most thrilling moments in a movie musical-the seconds before the actors are about to burst into song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-moulin-rouge-baz-luhrmann-takes-the-most-thrilling-moments-in-a/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [The mission of '8 Mile' is essentially to garner sympathy for a white rapper involved in an old-school shootout - a rap contest. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-mission-of-8-mile-is-essentially-to-garner-sympathy-for-a-white/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) [Explore all 147 Elvis Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) ## 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": "In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing, though, to say that you should take a painting, cut it, set it on fire, step on it, hammer nails into it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elvis Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-subversive-thing-though-to-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-subversive-thing-though-to-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/elvis-mitchell-2864_early_in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-s_1785243.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the early '60s, it was still a fairly subversive thing, though, to say that you should take a painting…” — Elvis Mitchell", "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": "Elvis Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the early '60s, it was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-subversive-thing-though-to-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/in-the-early-60s-it-was-still-a-fairly-subversive-thing-though-to-say/#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 } } ] } ```