--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If people would just look at the…" description: "\"If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think they would have any trouble enjoying them. It's like looking at a bed of flowers, you don't t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/jackson-pollock-8264_artist_if-people-would-just-look-at-the-paintin_68150.jpg" --- # If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think… ![“If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think they would have any trouble enjoying them. It's like looking at a bed of flowers, you don't tear your hair out over what it means.” quote by Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/jackson-pollock-8264_artist_if-people-would-just-look-at-the-paintin_68150.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/jackson-pollock-8264_artist_if-people-would-just-look-at-the-paintin_68150.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/jackson-pollock-8264_artist_if-people-would-just-look-at-the-paintin_68150.jpg) > “If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think they would have any trouble enjoying them. It's like looking at a bed of flowers, you don't tear your hair out over what it means.” [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that art can be appreciated aesthetically without overanalyzing its meaning, emphasizing direct sensory experience over intellectual dissection. **In simple terms:** Art is for feeling, not decoding. Key Takeaway Enjoy visuals directly. Themes Aesthetic appreciation Simplicity Subjectivity Non‑literal interpretation Emotional response Mood Contemplative Relaxed Open‑minded Type Observation Philosophical When to use this quote - Viewing a gallery - Teaching art basics - Casual conversation about art - Design brainstorming - Social media sharing Key Concepts Visual perception Art criticism Cognitive ease Practical Applications - Curating inclusive exhibitions - Designing intuitive visual interfaces Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on form change your perception of art? - When might deeper analysis be valuable? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Like Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-looking/) [Look Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-paintings-522529/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Paintings Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-don-901312/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble Enjoying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-enjoying-901313/) ## Related quotes > [When I look back at my paintings, they don't give me a sense of where I was when I first met that guy. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/when-i-look-back-at-my-paintings-they-don-t-give-me-a-sense-of-where/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [My paintings don't simply represent what I see; they present viewers with what I want them to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-danby/my-paintings-don-t-simply-represent-what-i-see-they-present-viewers/) [Ken Danby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-danby/) > [The paintings don't exist outside themselves. There's no lead photograph off the internet or anything like that. It all comes from my mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cooke/the-paintings-don-t-exist-outside-themselves-there-s-no-lead/) [Nigel Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cooke/) > [I start out making my paintings for me. I don't see it as a form of communication. Until, of course, after they are done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lurie/i-start-out-making-my-paintings-for-me-i-don-t-see-it-as-a-form-of/) [John Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lurie/) > [Ironically, my paintings don't photograph well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-loeb/ironically-my-paintings-don-t-photograph-well/) [Damian Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-loeb/) > [Paintings don't just happen. I am not a proponent of the idea of an artist as someone who kind of magically makes things and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/paintings-don-t-just-happen-i-am-not-a-proponent-of-the-idea-of-an/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/americans-often-have-trouble-enjoying-the-present-moment/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I look at my paintings for a very long time before letting them out of my studio. I like to get on the treadmill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-scully/i-look-at-my-paintings-for-a-very-long-time-before-letting-them-out/) [Sean Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-scully/) > [Status and class and social anxiety and perhaps social code are all released when you look at paintings of powerful individuals from the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/status-and-class-and-social-anxiety-and-perhaps-social-code-are-all/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The best way to begin is to say: Balthus is a painter of whom nothing is known. And now let us have a look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balthus/the-best-way-to-begin-is-to-say-balthus-is-a-painter-of-whom-nothing-2/) [Balthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balthus/) > [The best way to begin is to say: 'Balthus is a painter of whom nothing is known. And now let us have a look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balthus/the-best-way-to-begin-is-to-say-balthus-is-a-painter-of-whom-nothing/) [Balthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balthus/) > [I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I'm like a drinker who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-like-all-paintings-i-always-look-at-the-paintings-good-or-bad-in/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [If you look at the paintings that I love in art history, these are the paintings where great, powerful men are being celebrated on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/if-you-look-at-the-paintings-that-i-love-in-art-history-these-are-the/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Look upon paintings with eyes of mystery rather than judgement. Support the need to enter into the sacred space beyond evaluation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-cassou/look-upon-paintings-with-eyes-of-mystery-rather-than-judgement/) [Michele Cassou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-cassou/) > [I wanted to actually make people look at a painting. We don't look at paintings that much. We glance at them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-wanted-to-actually-make-people-look-at-a-painting-we-don-t-look-at/) [Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/) ## More by Jackson Pollock > [The modern artist... is working and expressing an inner world - in other words - expressing the energy, the motion, and other inner forces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/the-modern-artist-is-working-and-expressing-an-inner-world-in-other/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [He drove his kind of realism at me so hard I bounced right into nonobjective painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/he-drove-his-kind-of-realism-at-me-so-hard-i-bounced-right-into/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [When I'm painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a get acquainted period that I see what I've been about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/when-i-m-painting-i-m-not-aware-of-what-i-m-doing-it-s-only-after-a/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-have-no-fear-of-making-changes-destroying-the-image-etc-because-the/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-can-control-the-flow-of-paint-there-is-no-accident/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [The modern artist is living in a mechanical age and we have a mechanical means of representing objects in nature such as the camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/the-modern-artist-is-living-in-a-mechanical-age-and-we-have-a/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [As to what I would like to be, it is difficult to say. An artist of some kind. If nothing else I shall always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/as-to-what-i-would-like-to-be-it-is-difficult-to-say-an-artist-of/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/it-is-only-when-i-lose-contact-with-the-painting-that-the-result-is-a/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/the-strangeness-will-wear-off-and-i-think-we-will-discover-the-deeper/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [Every good painter paints what he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/every-good-painter-paints-what-he-is/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [Modern art to me is nothing more than the expression of contemporary aims of the age that we're living in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/modern-art-to-me-is-nothing-more-than-the-expression-of-contemporary/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I don't paint nature. I am nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-don-t-paint-nature-i-am-nature/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [With experience it seems to be possible to control the flow of paint, to a great extent, and I don't use - I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/with-experience-it-seems-to-be-possible-to-control-the-flow-of-paint/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/when-i-am-in-my-painting-i-m-not-aware-of-what-i-m-doing/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I don't work from drawings and colour sketches into a final painting. Painting, I think, today - the more immediate, the more direct -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-don-t-work-from-drawings-and-colour-sketches-into-a-final-painting/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) [Explore all 82 Jackson Pollock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) ## 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": "If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think they would have any trouble enjoying them. 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