Barrels Quote by Georgia O'Keeffe
“I took back a barrel of bones to New York. They were my symbols of the desert, but nothing more. I haven't seen enough to think of any other symbolism. The skulls were there and I could say something with them.”
About This Quote
Source Letter: "Desert Symbols", 1932
The artist uses desert bones as personal symbols, acknowledging their limited representational power while allowing creative expression.
In simple terms: Bones serve as personal desert symbols.
Key Takeaway
Use personal symbols while recognizing their limits.
Themes
art
symbolism
personal expression
desert
creativity
interpretation
Mood
introspective
creative
analytical
Type
artistic
reflective
When to use this quote
- painting
- sculpture
- creative writing
- exhibition curation
- art education
Key Concepts
visual metaphor
subjectivity
iconography
Questions to Reflect On
- How do personal symbols affect audience understanding?
- When should artists broaden symbolism?
A Different Perspective
Symbols may be opaque to others, reducing communicative effectiveness.
![“[Winning the White House was an achievement], but as an African-American, [Barack Obama], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The symbolism was in - and this sounds really, really small, but it's actually big for African-Americans - the symbolism was not in being an…” quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5dc/ta-nehisi-coates-733_achievement_winning-the-white-house-was-an-achieveme_47651.jpg)
![“[Norden] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/565/malcolm-gladwell-348_barrels_norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bomb_62474.jpg)
