--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the beginning, the energy involved to…" description: "\"In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from my reaction to the work of other artists. The force behind this was aggression. The art that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png" --- # In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from… ![“In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from my reaction to the work of other artists. The force behind this was aggression. The art that I saw was great, but I had to reject it, because I could not continue in the same direction. So I had to do something entirely different. It had to…” quote by Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png) > “In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from my reaction to the work of other artists. The force behind this was aggression. The art that I saw was great, but I had to reject it, because I could not continue in the same direction. So I had to do something entirely different. It had to be so different, so extreme, that those who loved pop art, for instance, hated me. And this was my strength.” [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. He describes his artistic drive as a reaction against existing art, using aggression to create a radically different style that challenged prevailing tastes. **In simple terms:** He used anger at other art to forge a unique, extreme style. Key Takeaway Embrace opposition to fuel originality. Themes creativity rebellion identity artistic evolution Mood defiant intense reflective Type artistic philosophical motivational When to use this quote - gallery openings - art school projects - personal artistic crises - public criticism Key Concepts reaction aggression radicalism Questions to Reflect On - How can conflict inspire innovation? - When does rebellion become self‑destruction? A Different Perspective His extreme divergence may alienate audiences and limit commercial success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Aggression Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression-art-343368/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Came Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-reaction-343370/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Extreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-extreme-343371/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated/) [Hated Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated-strength-343369/) [Pop art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-art/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Work Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-artists-343372/) ## Related quotes > [When you do things that are different and extreme, some people like it and some people don't. I don't really care if I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/when-you-do-things-that-are-different-and-extreme-some-people-like-it/) [Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/) > [This movie came as a reaction to reality. I realized that I do not know that 80 of the population that lives poor in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-jakubowicz/this-movie-came-as-a-reaction-to-reality-i-realized-that-i-do-not/) [Jonathan Jakubowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-jakubowicz/) > [I'm proud that I've been able to work with other artists to make sure that the smallest voices - the voices of our children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/i-m-proud-that-i-ve-been-able-to-work-with-other-artists-to-make-sure/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [I would love to see more dialogue around the "responsibilities" of art consumers - how can audiences better financially support artists we love, artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-would-love-to-see-more-dialogue-around-the-responsibilities-of-art/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [When I work with other artists, I really want to bring out the most in their voices and I want to hold myself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/when-i-work-with-other-artists-i-really-want-to-bring-out-the-most-in/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [My paintings used to be so realistic and I found it a little bit boring, especially now that I'm in New York. I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-hod/my-paintings-used-to-be-so-realistic-and-i-found-it-a-little-bit/) [Nir Hod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-hod/) > [I've been fortunate to work with artists that are at the top of their respective genres. That allowed me to learn from them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sean/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-work-with-artists-that-are-at-the-top-of-their/) [Jay Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sean/) > [To me, if there is any sort of value added to the accumulation of knowledge over time, then the work of artists should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/to-me-if-there-is-any-sort-of-value-added-to-the-accumulation-of/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I don't see myself as an artist. I work with artists and collaborate with them, but then it becomes graphic design. It's not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaughan-oliver/i-don-t-see-myself-as-an-artist-i-work-with-artists-and-collaborate/) [Vaughan Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaughan-oliver/) > [I like to work with artists from around the world. There are so many new inspiring filmmakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-like-to-work-with-artists-from-around-the-world-there-are-so-many/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I started off just trying to make a wish list for myself. I wanted to work with people I really admire myself. I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-started-off-just-trying-to-make-a-wish-list-for-myself-i-wanted-to/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [Labels need to work with artists to help them achieve their best work, not to jam records out that are half-baked or three-quarters baked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/labels-need-to-work-with-artists-to-help-them-achieve-their-best-work/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [The work of artists is to find what's humanly possible - possibility's furthest reaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-work-of-artists-is-to-find-what-s-humanly-possible-possibility-s/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [I like to work with artists who are as wide in their musical taste as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-to-work-with-artists-who-are-as-wide-in-their-musical-taste-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't let the baggage of my private life get into work. Artists are more fragile than normal people. But I know that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-can-t-let-the-baggage-of-my-private-life-get-into-work-artists-are/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) ## 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 had always loved expressionist painting, like every European. In fact I admired it all the more because these were precisely the paintings despised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-had-always-loved-expressionist-painting-like-every-european-in-fact/) [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/) [Explore all 59 Georg Baselitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) [Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from my reaction to the work of other artists. The force behind this was aggression. The art that I saw was great, but I had to reject it, because I could not continue in the same direction. So I had to do something entirely different. It had to be so different, so extreme, that those who loved pop art, for instance, hated me. And this was my strength.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Georg Baselitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to-create-came-from-my-reaction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aggression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to-create-came-from-my-reaction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/georg-baselitz-11545_aggression_in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to_2436219.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the beginning, the energy involved to create came from my reaction to the work of other artists. The…” — 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": "In the beginning, the energy involved...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to-create-came-from-my-reaction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/in-the-beginning-the-energy-involved-to-create-came-from-my-reaction/#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 } } ] } ```