--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Paintings, people really don't…" description: "\"Paintings, people really don't understand... They don't really get paintings. Quilts they do understand because everybody has a quilt in their house.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/faith-ringgold-17767_house_paintings-people-really-don-t-understand_2069800.jpg" --- # Paintings, people really don't understand... They don't… ![“Paintings, people really don't understand... They don't really get paintings. Quilts they do understand because everybody has a quilt in their house.” quote by Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/faith-ringgold-17767_house_paintings-people-really-don-t-understand_2069800.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/faith-ringgold-17767_house_paintings-people-really-don-t-understand_2069800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/faith-ringgold-17767_house_paintings-people-really-don-t-understand_2069800.jpg) > “Paintings, people really don't understand... They don't really get paintings. Quilts they do understand because everybody has a quilt in their house.” [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes that people relate more to familiar, functional art like quilts than abstract paintings. **In simple terms:** People connect with familiar art. Key Takeaway Use relatable forms to convey ideas. Themes art accessibility culture Mood thoughtful curious Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - museum education - community workshops - public art Key Concepts Aesthetics social relevance communication Questions to Reflect On - How can abstract art become more relatable? - What role does cultural familiarity play? A Different Perspective May limit artistic innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quilt/) [Quilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quilts/) ## Related quotes > [When they're looking at my work, they're looking at a painting and they're able to accept it better because it is also a quilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/when-they-re-looking-at-my-work-they-re-looking-at-a-painting-and/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [If men can quilt and take over the kitchen, then women can pick up a wrench and fix a leaky pipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-rosin/if-men-can-quilt-and-take-over-the-kitchen-then-women-can-pick-up-a/) [Hanna Rosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanna-rosin/) > [I like to do interior design, I love to quilt, I love to see different colors together, and I love to match things up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-like-to-do-interior-design-i-love-to-quilt-i-love-to-see-different/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [The white, the Hispanic, the black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the Native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist, the peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-white-the-hispanic-the-black-the-arab-the-jew-the-woman-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > […God is a giant quiltmaker. With an infinite variety of designs. And the quilt is grown so big and confusing, the pattern is impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/god-is-a-giant-quiltmaker-with-an-infinite-variety-of-designs-and-the/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [The quilt format is highly appropriate for repetition and serialization. Formal issues of balance and color, space and light in landscape are endlessly engaging.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barton/the-quilt-format-is-highly-appropriate-for-repetition-and/) Elizabeth Barton > [“We stitch together quilts of meaning to keep us warm and safe, with whatever patches of beauty and utility we have on hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-stitch-together-quilts-of-meaning-to-keep-us-warm-and-safe-with/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Any fool can make a quilt; and, after we had made a couple of dozen over twenty years ago, we quit the business with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-scott-duniway/any-fool-can-make-a-quilt-and-after-we-had-made-a-couple-of-dozen/) [Abigail Scott Duniway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-scott-duniway/) > [“Quilts are more than something to keep you warm. They give women a way to express themselves creatively.I like the way that you're using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-cameron/quilts-are-more-than-something-to-keep-you-warm-they-give-women-a-way/) [Barbara Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-cameron/) > [Life is less a quest than a quilt. We find meaning, love, and prosperity through the process of stitching together our bold attempts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ferrazzi/life-is-less-a-quest-than-a-quilt-we-find-meaning-love-and-prosperity/) [Keith Ferrazzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ferrazzi/) > [The whole quilt is much more important than any single square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/the-whole-quilt-is-much-more-important-than-any-single-square/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [“The story quilt in the novel was inspired by the magnificent quilts of Harriet Powers, an enslaved woman from Georgia who used African appliqué…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-story-quilt-in-the-novel-was-inspired-by-the-magnificent-quilts/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I think I'm one of the patches of the quilt here, myself and Dwyane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-think-i-m-one-of-the-patches-of-the-quilt-here-myself-and-dwyane/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [When I was a boy we were poor and we had to make do with what we had. So my grandma used to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/when-i-was-a-boy-we-were-poor-and-we-had-to-make-do-with-what-we-had/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## More by Faith Ringgold > [I guess I had fun doing it but it has hard memories for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-guess-i-had-fun-doing-it-but-it-has-hard-memories-for-me/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [I think I had struck on a combination of imagery and politics that worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-think-i-had-struck-on-a-combination-of-imagery-and-politics-that/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [You can't sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/you-can-t-sit-around-and-wait-for-somebody-to-say-who-you-are-you/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [Every time people struggle, they survive, they do better, and then they forget, and they end up back where they started from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/every-time-people-struggle-they-survive-they-do-better-and-then-they/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [It is so sad that it takes so long for people to understand what needs to happen in order to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/it-is-so-sad-that-it-takes-so-long-for-people-to-understand-what/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [I can recall that nobody ever went out the door that wasn't dressed nicely, even though it was the Depression. I particularly remember on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-can-recall-that-nobody-ever-went-out-the-door-that-wasn-t-dressed/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [When they're looking at my work, they're looking at a painting and they're able to accept it better because it is also a quilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/when-they-re-looking-at-my-work-they-re-looking-at-a-painting-and/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [Anyone can fly. All you need is somewhere to go that you can't get to any other way. The next thing you know, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/anyone-can-fly-all-you-need-is-somewhere-to-go-that-you-can-t-get-to/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [I have always wanted to tell my story - or, more to the point, my side of the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-have-always-wanted-to-tell-my-story-or-more-to-the-point-my-side-of/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [I just feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world being able to do what I love and be able to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-just-feel-like-i-m-the-luckiest-person-in-the-world-being-able-to/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [Black women have never embraced feminism. They didn't embrace it in the '50s and '60s; they're not embracing it now. That's not new. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/black-women-have-never-embraced-feminism-they-didn-t-embrace-it-in/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [There were a lot of stop signs in my life... People telling you what to do, when to do it, and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/there-were-a-lot-of-stop-signs-in-my-life-people-telling-you-what-to/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [There were people who would complain about their jobs, and my mother would walk away from that job. I liked that a lot about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/there-were-people-who-would-complain-about-their-jobs-and-my-mother/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [I was functioning in a time when people were struggling, and they knew they had to struggle, and I was a part of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/i-was-functioning-in-a-time-when-people-were-struggling-and-they-knew/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [The reason why I began making quilts is because I wrote my autobiography in 1980 and couldn't get it published because I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/the-reason-why-i-began-making-quilts-is-because-i-wrote-my/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) [Explore all 36 Faith Ringgold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) ## 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": "Paintings, people really don't understand... They don't really get paintings. 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