Artist Quote by Glenn Ligon
“Willem de Kooning paintings are a language to be learned. When they were first shown, they were ridiculed as being just drips and splatters and splashes. You had to learn how to read them.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Glenn Ligon on Abstract Expressionism, 2015
Art can function as a communicative system that requires visual literacy to interpret its symbols and techniques.
In simple terms: Art is a language that needs learning to understand.
Key Takeaway
Develop visual literacy to appreciate abstract art.
Themes
art appreciation
visual literacy
interpretation
culture
history
Mood
curious
reflective
Type
analytical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- museum visits
- art education
- personal reflection
- curatorial practice
Key Concepts
semiotics
abstraction
contextual analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you approach unfamiliar visual styles?
- What symbols do you notice in abstract works?
A Different Perspective
Understanding may be subjective and influenced by personal bias.
![“Language [can] be expressed . . . by movements of the hands and face just as well as by the small, sound-generating movements of the throat and mouth. Then the first criterion for language that I had learned as a student—it is spoken and heard—was wrong; and, more important, language did not…” quote by Harlan Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5d1/harlan-lane-110195_ability_language-can-be-expressed-by-movements-o_1734575.jpg)
