--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art makes people do a double take and…" description: "\"Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're looking at the picture, maybe they'll read the text under it that says, \"Come to Union Square, F..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/eric-drooker-12664_art_art-makes-people-do-a-double-take-and-th_591252.jpg" --- # Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're… ![“Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're looking at the picture, maybe they'll read the text under it that says, "Come to Union Square, For Anti-War Meeting Friday." I've been operating that way ever since - that art is a means to an end rather than simply an end in itself. In art…” quote by Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/eric-drooker-12664_art_art-makes-people-do-a-double-take-and-th_591252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/eric-drooker-12664_art_art-makes-people-do-a-double-take-and-th_591252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/eric-drooker-12664_art_art-makes-people-do-a-double-take-and-th_591252.jpg) > “Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're looking at the picture, maybe they'll read the text under it that says, "Come to Union Square, For Anti-War Meeting Friday." I've been operating that way ever since - that art is a means to an end rather than simply an end in itself. In art school we're always taught that art is an end in itself - art for art's sake, expressing yourself, and that that's enough.” [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art is a tool for communication and persuasion, not merely self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Art can serve a purpose beyond itself. Key Takeaway Use art to convey messages. Themes art activism communication purpose self‑expression Mood thoughtful engaged Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - political campaigns - public murals - gallery installations - social media graphics Key Concepts visual rhetoric social impact public messaging Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance aesthetic quality with activist intent? - What messages are most effective when delivered visually? A Different Perspective Art may lose intrinsic value when reduced to propaganda. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-school/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Express yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/express-yourself/) [Expressing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressing-yourself/) [Friday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friday/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [In art school we're always taught that art is an end in itself - art for art's sake, expressing yourself, and that that's enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/in-art-school-we-re-always-taught-that-art-is-an-end-in-itself-art/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Art grabs people by their eyeballs, it seduces them ... art is a means to an end rather than simply an end in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/art-grabs-people-by-their-eyeballs-it-seduces-them-art-is-a-means-to/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [What modern art means is that you have to keep finding new ways to express yourself, to express the problems, that there are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/what-modern-art-means-is-that-you-have-to-keep-finding-new-ways-to/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [When I was at art school, a lot of art education is about art being a means of self-expression, and as an 18-year-old I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/when-i-was-at-art-school-a-lot-of-art-education-is-about-art-being-a/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Photography was increasingly being seen as something outside the art world. As a sort of illustration. They just fired the director of photography at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-franklin/photography-was-increasingly-being-seen-as-something-outside-the-art/) [Stuart Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-franklin/) > [I come from a Punjab and a community that has taught me that art is meant to be challenging, infuriating and thought provoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanika-dhillon/i-come-from-a-punjab-and-a-community-that-has-taught-me-that-art-is/) [Kanika Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanika-dhillon/) > [I started to do silk-screen in the early days of my painting training, due to a woman who taught art history at the institute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-started-to-do-silk-screen-in-the-early-days-of-my-painting-training/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most other pieces fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/he-taught-us-the-art-of-unqualified-love-how-to-give-it-how-to-accept/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [“You know one thing that Mr. Powell taught me? He taught me that sometimes, art can make you forget everything else all around you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-d-schmidt/you-know-one-thing-that-mr-powell-taught-me-he-taught-me-that/) [Gary D. Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-d-schmidt/) > [In contemporary art culture, where good looks and clever strategic planning of art careers have become a feature, professional practice may be taught in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-contemporary-art-culture-where-good-looks-and-clever-strategic/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I once taught art to adults in a night course. I had a woman who painted her back yard, and she said it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-martin/i-once-taught-art-to-adults-in-a-night-course-i-had-a-woman-who/) [Agnes Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-martin/) > [My father was a painter and he taught art. He once said to me, 'I never knew an Indian child who could not draw.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/my-father-was-a-painter-and-he-taught-art-he-once-said-to-me-i-never/) [N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/) > [I've taught, and the first thing I did when I taught art, was not to teach art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/i-ve-taught-and-the-first-thing-i-did-when-i-taught-art-was-not-to/) [Louise Berliawsky Nevelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/) > [“When a computer creates art, who is the artist—the computer or the programmer? At MIT, a recent exhibit of highly accomplished algorithmic art had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/when-a-computer-creates-art-who-is-the-artist-the-computer-or-the/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Art makes something a lot more visible or audible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/art-makes-something-a-lot-more-visible-or-audible/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) ## More by Eric Drooker > [Everyone wants to be part of the 99%, even the cops are like, "No, no, man. I'm part of the 99% too." No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everyone-wants-to-be-part-of-the-99-even-the-cops-are-like-no-no-man/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [I think for an artist there are so many things to make pictures of now, that everyone else may be suffering, but at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/i-think-for-an-artist-there-are-so-many-things-to-make-pictures-of/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [In the U.S., ironically, people work longer hours in the U.S. than they do in Europe or in any other industrialized country. They seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/in-the-u-s-ironically-people-work-longer-hours-in-the-u-s-than-they/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Americans didn't really have any experience with something as basic as "community."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/americans-didn-t-really-have-any-experience-with-something-as-basic/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The trick is not to look back, but keep on expressing where I'm at now. It's challenging to create something new, so it's crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-trick-is-not-to-look-back-but-keep-on-expressing-where-i-m-at-now/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Street posters allowed you to have the last word. If you put them up in your neighborhood, you were speaking to your neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/street-posters-allowed-you-to-have-the-last-word-if-you-put-them-up/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [There's so much tragedy in people that we see every day that we don't have to make anything up. We don't have to invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/there-s-so-much-tragedy-in-people-that-we-see-every-day-that-we-don-t/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The unusual thing about doing street poster art - or something with a conscious social critique in it - is that the artist thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-unusual-thing-about-doing-street-poster-art-or-something-with-a/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Everything you do is political, even if it's abstract. You're making a political statement even if it's unwittingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everything-you-do-is-political-even-if-it-s-abstract-you-re-making-a/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [By the time I was in my early-twenties and was living there on the Lower East Side, I was so surrounded by tragedy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/by-the-time-i-was-in-my-early-twenties-and-was-living-there-on-the/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Street art is about as religious as I get - that's my faith, that even if people screen it out and didn't think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/street-art-is-about-as-religious-as-i-get-that-s-my-faith-that-even/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [Illustrators are usually illustrating something big or commercial if not outright advertising. It's a form of prostitution, but that's cool because we don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/illustrators-are-usually-illustrating-something-big-or-commercial-if/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The problem with prostitution in my experience is that it's often unsatisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-problem-with-prostitution-in-my-experience-is-that-it-s-often/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [There's the fact that animation is extremely time-consuming, tedious, labor-intensive, and therefore, extremely expensive as an art form to really do it right, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/there-s-the-fact-that-animation-is-extremely-time-consuming-tedious/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [The client isn't quite satisfied and then the prostitute is always unsatisfied but is doing it just to make ends meet. And if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/the-client-isn-t-quite-satisfied-and-then-the-prostitute-is-always/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) [Explore all 54 Eric Drooker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) ## 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": "Art makes people do a double take and then, if they're looking at the picture, maybe they'll read the text under it that says, \"Come to Union Square, For Anti-War Meeting Friday.\" I've been operating that way ever since - that art is a means to an end rather than simply an end in itself. 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