---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had always loved expressionist…"
description: "\"I had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because these were precisely the paintings despised b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png"
---

#  I had always loved expressionist painting, like every…

![“I had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because these were precisely the paintings despised by my father's generation.” quote by Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png)

> “I had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because these were precisely the paintings despised by my father's generation.”

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Appreciating avant‑garde art can be a rebellion against conservative family values.

**In simple terms:** Loving modern art defies old‑fashioned tastes.

Key Takeaway

Embrace artistic freedom despite tradition.

Themes

art rebellion family

Mood

contemplative defiant

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- gallery visits
- family discussions
- art education

Key Concepts

expressionism generational conflict cultural identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your family view contemporary art?
- What draws you to expressionist works?

A Different Perspective

Not all families oppose modern art; context varies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Despised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despised/) [Despised Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despised-father-4280459/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Expressionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressionist-961915/) [Expressionist Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressionist-painting-3697273/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Loved Expressionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-expressionist-4280457/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Despised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-despised-4280458/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [Fiction is an expressionist painting rather than a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josip-novakovich/fiction-is-an-expressionist-painting-rather-than-a-photograph/)

[Josip Novakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josip-novakovich/)

> [“For every peaceful man, there was a man who wanted to hurt her, even kill her, because she was a gorgeous thing he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/for-every-peaceful-man-there-was-a-man-who-wanted-to-hurt-her-even/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [I was not an Abstract Expressionist. Nor was I an Irascible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedda-sterne/i-was-not-an-abstract-expressionist-nor-was-i-an-irascible/)

[Hedda Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedda-sterne/)

> [“I’d paint with a beard if I could grow out of my abstract expressionist phase.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-d-paint-with-a-beard-if-i-could-grow-out-of-my-abstract/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I was an abstract expressionist before I had seen any abstract expressionist paintings. I started when I was a kid and continued just doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-was-an-abstract-expressionist-before-i-had-seen-any-abstract/)

[Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/)

> [I would describe my work as expressionist. The expressionist point of view is stressing your own feelings about something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-lawrence/i-would-describe-my-work-as-expressionist-the-expressionist-point-of/)

[Jacob Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-lawrence/)

> [I'm not an Abstraction Expressionist, but I think dedication to paintings comes from an early interest in that work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-m-not-an-abstraction-expressionist-but-i-think-dedication-to/)

[Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/)

> [I don't know if I'm an impressionist or an expressionist. You can call me an American first... I've been labeled doing neimanism, so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-an-impressionist-or-an-expressionist-you-can-call/)

[LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/)

> [You have to have the time to feel sorry for yourself in order to be a good abstract expressionist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/you-have-to-have-the-time-to-feel-sorry-for-yourself-in-order-to-be-a/)

[Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/)

> [“How can U say one style is better than another. You ought to be able to be an Abstract Expressionist next week, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/legs-mcneil/how-can-u-say-one-style-is-better-than-another-you-ought-to-be-able/)

[Legs McNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/legs-mcneil/)

> [Yes, I did, I mean I painted er, in a kind of abstract expressionist way, because of course that was exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/yes-i-did-i-mean-i-painted-er-in-a-kind-of-abstract-expressionist-way/)

[David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/)

> [I'm not an Expressionist. I love to look at de Kooning, but I've got this kind of secret life, and that is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-kelly/i-m-not-an-expressionist-i-love-to-look-at-de-kooning-but-i-ve-got/)

[Ellsworth Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-kelly/)

> [“I had grown up under the heroic spell of the Abstract Expressionist painters,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/i-had-grown-up-under-the-heroic-spell-of-the-abstract-expressionist/)

[Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/)

> [“Where the realist would say, "One day Gregor Samsa woke up to the realization that he was like a cockroach," the expressionist heightens or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/where-the-realist-would-say-one-day-gregor-samsa-woke-up-to-the/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [After being an Impressionist, Cubist, and an Abstract Expressionist, I was influenced by realistic artists, including Andrew Wyeth in the late '50s, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/after-being-an-impressionist-cubist-and-an-abstract-expressionist-i/)

[Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/)

## More by Georg Baselitz

> [When Michael Werner saw a painting of mine, such as Die grosse Nacht im Eimer, which back then nobody wanted and everybody thought was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/when-michael-werner-saw-a-painting-of-mine-such-as-die-grosse-nacht/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I paint German artists whom I admire. I paint their pictures, their work as painters, and their portraits too. But oddly enough, each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-paint-german-artists-whom-i-admire-i-paint-their-pictures-their/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [Most of arts what comes from the States to Europe has something to do with entertainment. I can't imagine artists in the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/most-of-arts-what-comes-from-the-states-to-europe-has-something-to-do/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [Alfred Schnittke was an important contemporary composer, and he lived in Germany, but no one here has heard of him. Everyone has heard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/alfred-schnittke-was-an-important-contemporary-composer-and-he-lived/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I don't paint over my paintings with black paint. I paint black paintings. It isn't because I'm sad, just as I didn't paint red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-don-t-paint-over-my-paintings-with-black-paint-i-paint-black/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [A citizen sticks to conventions, does whatever is social. Artists, of course, must reject all conventions. I see no differently in reconciling the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/a-citizen-sticks-to-conventions-does-whatever-is-social-artists-of/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I do not have a philosophy about retrospectives. Of course, I cannot change what I have done. What I am doing today, this I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-do-not-have-a-philosophy-about-retrospectives-of-course-i-cannot/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [An object painted upside down is suitable for painting because it is unsuitable as an object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/an-object-painted-upside-down-is-suitable-for-painting-because-it-is/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I don't know who made up this sort of greatest-hits list for artists. If one artist isn't moving forward anymore, then it's assumed another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-don-t-know-who-made-up-this-sort-of-greatest-hits-list-for-artists/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [Women don't paint very well. It's a fact. There are, of course, exceptions. Agnes Martin or, from the past, Paula Modersohn-Becker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/women-don-t-paint-very-well-it-s-a-fact-there-are-of-course/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I would say for everyday I build buildings or houses like a bricklayer with canvas and paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-would-say-for-everyday-i-build-buildings-or-houses-like-a/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I hang my work upside down to emphasize surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-hang-my-work-upside-down-to-emphasize-surface/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [Talent seduces us into interpretation. My sister could draw wonderfully, but she would never have hit upon the idea of becoming a painter. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/talent-seduces-us-into-interpretation-my-sister-could-draw/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [I have always had the feeling that other people are too stupid to discover interesting things. That's why I do it myself. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-have-always-had-the-feeling-that-other-people-are-too-stupid-to/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

> [What counts most is finding new ways to get the world down in paint on my own terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/what-counts-most-is-finding-new-ways-to-get-the-world-down-in-paint/)

[Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

[Explore all 59 Georg Baselitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because these were precisely the paintings despised by my father's generation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Georg Baselitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-had-always-loved-expressionist-painting-like-every-european-in-fact/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-had-always-loved-expressionist-painting-like-every-european-in-fact/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/georg-baselitz-11545_artist_i-had-always-loved-expressionist-paintin_503307.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because…” — Georg Baselitz",
                "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": "Georg Baselitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had always loved expressionist painting,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-had-always-loved-expressionist-painting-like-every-european-in-fact/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-had-always-loved-expressionist-painting-like-every-european-in-fact/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
