--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (How do you know a piece is finished?:)…" description: "\"“(How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never finished. The subject is never exhausted. -Louise Bourgeois”\" — Jan Greenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg" --- # (How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never… ![“(How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never finished. The subject is never exhausted. -Louise Bourgeois” quote by Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg) > ““(How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never finished. The subject is never exhausted. -Louise Bourgeois”” [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic creation is an ongoing dialogue; completion is an illusion as the subject continually offers new depths. **In simple terms:** Art never truly ends. Key Takeaway Creative work is perpetual. Themes creativity process infinite exploration subjectivity artistic perseverance Mood thoughtful inquisitive inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artist reflecting on a piece - designer revisiting a project - writer editing a manuscript - musician improvising - researcher extending a study Key Concepts subject completion exhaustion iteration Practical Applications - continuous refinement - embracing iterative development Questions to Reflect On - What does 'finished' mean in your field? - How can you harness the endless nature of a subject? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-finished-932814/) [Finished Subject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-subject-1068953/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louise-bourgeois-224562/) [Piece Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-finished-1068954/) ## Related quotes > [“It was just that i had the feeling that the art scene belonged to the men, and that I was in some way invading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/it-was-just-that-i-had-the-feeling-that-the-art-scene-belonged-to-the/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“My inspiration comes from the beauty of the past. That's where I am completely omnipotent. -Louise Bourgeois”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/my-inspiration-comes-from-the-beauty-of-the-past-that-s-where-i-am/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [How can you tell when a piece is finished?'I asked. 'You can't,' he said flatly. 'All you can tell is when you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hoffman/how-can-you-tell-when-a-piece-is-finished-i-asked-you-can-t-he-said/) [Mary Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hoffman/) > [“The world wasn't built in a day. It took a long time to get this far and it still isn't finished. It never will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-wasn-t-built-in-a-day-it-took-a-long-time-to-get-this-far/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished. Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there's a heap, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/finished-it-s-finished-nearly-finished-it-must-be-nearly-finished/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [A painting is finished when the subject comes back, when what has caused the painting to be made comes back as an object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hodgkin/a-painting-is-finished-when-the-subject-comes-back-when-what-has/) [Howard Hodgkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hodgkin/) > [Each painting has its own way of evolving. When the painting is finished, the subject reveals itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/each-painting-has-its-own-way-of-evolving-when-the-painting-is/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [I am tired of the cult of youth. The cultural rejection of old age, the stigmatization of wrinkles, grey hair, of bodies furrowed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-am-tired-of-the-cult-of-youth-the-cultural-rejection-of-old-age-the/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [After illuminating the work of Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Louise Bourgeois, Balthus, and other modern artists, Mieke Bal again demonstrates her extraordinary flair for cultural criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-culler/after-illuminating-the-work-of-rembrandt-caravaggio-louise-bourgeois/) [Jonathan Culler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-culler/) > [“A phrase Max had used bothered me. I was not to be surprised if my work underwent a change. I might find it becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-macardle/a-phrase-max-had-used-bothered-me-i-was-not-to-be-surprised-if-my/) [Dorothy Macardle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-macardle/) > [By seeing life's experiences on through to the end, on our small scale we can finally say, as Jesus did on the cross, "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/by-seeing-life-s-experiences-on-through-to-the-end-on-our-small-scale/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [Script is not finished until it's finished. There's many times, partway through a film, when an idea comes, and I say, "How beautiful this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/script-is-not-finished-until-it-s-finished-there-s-many-times-partway/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [“Although it may not seem finished to anyone else, it’s finished to you. It’s your project. You did it by choice. You have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sher/although-it-may-not-seem-finished-to-anyone-else-it-s-finished-to-you/) [Barbara Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sher/) > [ It's just like sex; when \[a book is\] finished, it's finished. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-s-just-like-sex-when-a-book-is-finished-it-s-finished/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Jan Greenberg > [“Instead of tall and angular shapes regarded as masculine and aggressive, she now turned to soft, rounded forms identified as female or nurturing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/instead-of-tall-and-angular-shapes-regarded-as-masculine-and/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“Asked if she was a feminist, Louise said she wasn't sure, but she was a woman--her art couldn't help reflecting that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/asked-if-she-was-a-feminist-louise-said-she-wasn-t-sure-but-she-was-a/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“She doesn't attend gallery openings or apear at art-world parties. "People need to see the work. It's more me than my physical presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/she-doesn-t-attend-gallery-openings-or-apear-at-art-world-parties/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“She wanted children and considered having them a "privilege," but art also "was a privilege given to me and I had to pursue it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/she-wanted-children-and-considered-having-them-a-privilege-but-art/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“Her intimate, edgy sculpture was grounded in female experience, including relationships, giving birth and motherhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/her-intimate-edgy-sculpture-was-grounded-in-female-experience/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“When Louise worried bout something, it often turned up in her art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/when-louise-worried-bout-something-it-often-turned-up-in-her-art/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“My inspiration comes from the beauty of the past. That's where I am completely omnipotent. -Louise Bourgeois”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/my-inspiration-comes-from-the-beauty-of-the-past-that-s-where-i-am/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) > [“It was just that i had the feeling that the art scene belonged to the men, and that I was in some way invading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/it-was-just-that-i-had-the-feeling-that-the-art-scene-belonged-to-the/) [Jan Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) [Explore all 9 Jan Greenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/) ## 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": "“(How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never finished. The subject is never exhausted. -Louise Bourgeois”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jan Greenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s-never-finished-the-subject/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s-never-finished-the-subject/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/jan-greenberg-43424_quote_how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s_84749.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(How do you know a piece is finished?:) It's never finished. The subject is never exhausted. -Louise Bourgeois” — Jan Greenberg", "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": "Jan Greenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-greenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“(How do you know a piece...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s-never-finished-the-subject/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-greenberg/how-do-you-know-a-piece-is-finished-it-s-never-finished-the-subject/#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 } } ] } ```