---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think Seurat would have been…"
description: "\"I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots - he would have been aware of what he was trying to do. The dots were an instrument.\" — Frank Au..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg"
---

#  I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots…

![“I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots - he would have been aware of what he was trying to do. The dots were an instrument.” quote by Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg)

> “I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots - he would have been aware of what he was trying to do. The dots were an instrument.”

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He suggests Seurat focused on intent, using dots as a tool rather than an end.

**In simple terms:** Seurat cared about purpose, not just technique.

Key Takeaway

Focus on intent over method.

Themes

art intention technique

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- painting
- design
- creative planning

Key Concepts

aesthetics process theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What tools serve your purpose?
- Do you prioritize process or outcome?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on technique can obscure meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aware Dots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aware-dots-1396481/) [Dots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dots/) [Dots Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dots-instrument-1396479/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Methodology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/methodology/) [Think Seurat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-seurat-1396478/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Dots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-dots-1396480/)

## Related quotes

> [Subjectivism is not an absolute principle; it is a necessary but not sufficient condition for sound methodology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/subjectivism-is-not-an-absolute-principle-it-is-a-necessary-but-not/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [There is no formula. There are only confirmations to formulas which one has already discovered oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/there-is-no-formula-there-are-only-confirmations-to-formulas-which/)

[Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/)

> [Who knows the minds of men and how they reason and what their methodology is? But I am not going to extrapolate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/who-knows-the-minds-of-men-and-how-they-reason-and-what-their/)

[Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/)

> [I'm only interested in working on records that legitimately reflect the band's own perception of their music and existence. If you commit yourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-albini/i-m-only-interested-in-working-on-records-that-legitimately-reflect/)

[Steve Albini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-albini/)

> [Because of my methodology and my sensibilities to write songs, I'm not very comfortable with the notion to rush in any creative endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-crowell/because-of-my-methodology-and-my-sensibilities-to-write-songs-i-m-not/)

[Rodney Crowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-crowell/)

> [Skepticism is my nature, freethought is my methodology, agnosticism is my conclusion after 25 years of being in the ministry, and atheism is my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-dewitt/skepticism-is-my-nature-freethought-is-my-methodology-agnosticism-is/)

[Jerry DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-dewitt/)

> [One might get the impression that I recommend a new methodology which replaces induction by counterinduction and uses a multiplicity of theories, metaphysical views,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/one-might-get-the-impression-that-i-recommend-a-new-methodology-which/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [There is no best way to make art, but there are a lot of better ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/there-is-no-best-way-to-make-art-but-there-are-a-lot-of-better-ways/)

[Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/)

> [I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible. Everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-the-greatest-weakness-in-the-church-today-is-that-almost-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/)

[Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/)

> [First, we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a way of getting a computer to perform operations but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-abelson/first-we-want-to-establish-the-idea-that-a-computer-language-is-not/)

[Hal Abelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-abelson/)

> [Yoga is the methodology with which to unveil the miracle that exists right in front of our faces and inside ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/yoga-is-the-methodology-with-which-to-unveil-the-miracle-that-exists/)

[Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/)

> [Ben was more improvisational, and relied less on methodology, and basically is a guitarist who switched to bass, whereas Jeff has a more traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cameron/ben-was-more-improvisational-and-relied-less-on-methodology-and/)

[Matt Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cameron/)

> [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Why should there be the method of science? There is not just one way to build a house, or even to grow tomatoes. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/why-should-there-be-the-method-of-science-there-is-not-just-one-way/)

[Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/)

## More by Frank Auerbach

> [Real style is not having a program - it's how one behaves in a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/real-style-is-not-having-a-program-it-s-how-one-behaves-in-a-crisis/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I go out each morning and draw. I can't really start a painting in the morning until I've done a drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-go-out-each-morning-and-draw-i-can-t-really-start-a-painting-in-the/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [If you pass something every day and it has a little character, it begins to intrigue you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/if-you-pass-something-every-day-and-it-has-a-little-character-it/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [It seems to me madness to wake up in the morning and do something other than paint, considering that one may not wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/it-seems-to-me-madness-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-do-something/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I'm hoping to make a new thing for the world that remains in the mind like a new species of living thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-m-hoping-to-make-a-new-thing-for-the-world-that-remains-in-the-mind/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [To put down an ideogram of a table so that people will recognize it as a table is not the work of a painter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/to-put-down-an-ideogram-of-a-table-so-that-people-will-recognize-it/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [Garden work consists much more in uprooting weeds than in planting seed. This applies also to teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/garden-work-consists-much-more-in-uprooting-weeds-than-in-planting/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [Ideally, one should have more material than one can possibly cope with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/ideally-one-should-have-more-material-than-one-can-possibly-cope-with/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [In addition to the artistic influences, I am influenced by my current private life, my feelings about it and my energy level and state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/in-addition-to-the-artistic-influences-i-am-influenced-by-my-current/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I think that the very earliest influence was a horror of having to work in a bank or an office, a desire for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-think-that-the-very-earliest-influence-was-a-horror-of-having-to/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I destroy things every day in the act of working and often recall a picture I had considered finished in order to rework it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-destroy-things-every-day-in-the-act-of-working-and-often-recall-a/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [The unity in any painter's work arises from the fact that a person, brought to a desperate situation, will behave in a certain way...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/the-unity-in-any-painter-s-work-arises-from-the-fact-that-a-person/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [I never work with an audience - I can't do this. The process depends on the highest degree of nervous concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-never-work-with-an-audience-i-can-t-do-this-the-process-depends-on/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

> [Falsehood always punishes itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/falsehood-always-punishes-itself/)

[Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

[Explore all 15 Frank Auerbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/)

## More Dots quotes

> [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/)

> [Stefan: "Indian with a dot, not a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/stefan-indian-with-a-dot-not-a-feather/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“Make it a quest to never give up even when the dots seem as if they are difficult to connect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlena-jackson/make-it-a-quest-to-never-give-up-even-when-the-dots-seem-as-if-they/)

[Charlena Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlena-jackson/)

> [At seventy-three I learned a little about the real structure of animals, plants, birds, fishes and insects. Consequently when I am eighty I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hokusai/at-seventy-three-i-learned-a-little-about-the-real-structure-of/)

[Hokusai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hokusai/)

> [People, I am actually fairly smart. Why has this not occurred to anyone? The information is all out there, if you go looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/people-i-am-actually-fairly-smart-why-has-this-not-occurred-to-anyone/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [Meaning. If you're going to die, you want to find meaning in life. You want to connect the dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/meaning-if-you-re-going-to-die-you-want-to-find-meaning-in-life-you/)

[Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/)

> [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [If you're going climbing with young people, you get very, very used to seeing your climbing partner as a tiny little dot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bonington/if-you-re-going-climbing-with-young-people-you-get-very-very-used-to/)

[Chris Bonington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bonington/)

> [“Zebras dream of polka-dots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-caruso/zebras-dream-of-polka-dots/)

[Phil Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-caruso/)

> [My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/my-life-is-a-dot-lost-among-thousands-of-other-dots/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

> [I was an infinitely hot and dense dot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/i-was-an-infinitely-hot-and-dense-dot/)

[Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/)

> [Aight baby show me the exact spot, meet me at Hoyt &amp; Schemethorn at 3 on the dot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeru-the-damaja/aight-baby-show-me-the-exact-spot-meet-me-at-hoyt-schemethorn-at-3-on/)

[Jeru the Damaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeru-the-damaja/)

> [Let man then contemplate nature in full and lofty majesty, and turn his eyes away from the mean objects which surround him. Let him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-man-then-contemplate-nature-in-full-and-lofty-majesty-and-turn/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Somebody can paint with a fine brush like Monet and do millions of little dots or somebody can splatter it up there like Kandinsky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/somebody-can-paint-with-a-fine-brush-like-monet-and-do-millions-of/)

[Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/)

[Browse all 309 Dots quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dots/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots - he would have been aware of what he was trying to do. The dots were an instrument.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Auerbach"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-aware-of-the-dots-he-would-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dots"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-aware-of-the-dots-he-would-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/frank-auerbach-32638_dots_i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-awa_917865.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think Seurat would have been aware of the dots - he would have been aware of what he was trying to…” — Frank Auerbach",
                "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": "Frank Auerbach",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think Seurat would have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-aware-of-the-dots-he-would-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-don-t-think-seurat-would-have-been-aware-of-the-dots-he-would-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
