--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A picture ought to be looked at the same…" description: "\"A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a radiator.\" — Jasper Johns" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg" --- # A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a… ![“A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a radiator.” quote by Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg) > “A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a radiator.” [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A picture should be examined with the same critical eye as an ordinary object, revealing hidden value. **In simple terms:** Observe art like everyday things. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface appearances. Themes art criticism perception everyday objects Mood analytical curious Type interpretive philosophical When to use this quote - museum visits - art education - design critique Key Concepts aesthetic theory contextual analysis Questions to Reflect On - What does a radiator symbolize? - How does context change perception? A Different Perspective Viewing art as mundane may diminish its impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Look Radiator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-radiator-677894/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture-ought-677895/) [Radiator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radiator-392139/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-look/) ## Related quotes > [A street in Constantinople is a picture which one ought to see once-not oftener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-street-in-constantinople-is-a-picture-which-one-ought-to-see-once/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I put my school uniform on the radiator for like 10 minutes before I get changed, it makes me warm, it's like rocket science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-put-my-school-uniform-on-the-radiator-for-like-10-minutes-before-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I read someplace that I used to make B-pictures. Hell, they were a lot farther down the alphabet than that . . . but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-read-someplace-that-i-used-to-make-b-pictures-hell-they-were-a-lot/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [“Our lives are a picture of what we ought to do, what we need to do, what we are planning to do and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/our-lives-are-a-picture-of-what-we-ought-to-do-what-we-need-to-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [There's no way I could look like this without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-warrick/there-s-no-way-i-could-look-like-this-without-them/) [Ruth Warrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-warrick/) > [Love the way you look, look the way you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/love-the-way-you-look-look-the-way-you-love/) [Azgraybebly Joslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azgraybebly-joslan/) > [“He looked at Christy the same way you look at me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-flynn/he-looked-at-christy-the-same-way-you-look-at-me/) [Beth Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-flynn/) > [“Every door I pass is one way. So I may as well look around, and see what there is beyond the next door, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baxter/every-door-i-pass-is-one-way-so-i-may-as-well-look-around-and-see/) [Stephen Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baxter/) > [I don't think the way I look at myself has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-wolf/i-don-t-think-the-way-i-look-at-myself-has-changed/) [Scott Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-wolf/) > [Talk to me Why won't you talk to me? Can't you see? I can't go on this way, When you look like that And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayy/talk-to-me-why-won-t-you-talk-to-me-can-t-you-see-i-can-t-go-on-this/) [Rayy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayy/) > [My way is to look forward, not back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hunt/my-way-is-to-look-forward-not-back/) [David Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hunt/) > [I can't help the way I look. What am I supposed to do, put a plastic bag over my head?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-heatherton/i-can-t-help-the-way-i-look-what-am-i-supposed-to-do-put-a-plastic/) [Joey Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-heatherton/) > [The way I look doesn't define my personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerett-parker/the-way-i-look-doesn-t-define-my-personality/) [Jerett Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerett-parker/) > [“Whatever you do don't let anybody talk you into doing something about the way you look ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-casablancas/whatever-you-do-don-t-let-anybody-talk-you-into-doing-something-about/) [John Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-casablancas/) > [I'm way more serious than I look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/i-m-way-more-serious-than-i-look/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) ## More by Jasper Johns > [Early on I was very involved with the notion of the painting as an object and tended to attack that idea from different directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/early-on-i-was-very-involved-with-the-notion-of-the-painting-as-an/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Make something, a kind of object, which as it changes or falls apart (dies as it were) or increases in its parts (grows as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/make-something-a-kind-of-object-which-as-it-changes-or-falls-apart/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [In my early work, I tried to hide my personality, my psychological state, my emotions. This was partly due to my feelings about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/in-my-early-work-i-tried-to-hide-my-personality-my-psychological/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I have no ideas about what the paintings imply about the world. I don't think that's a painter's business. He just paints paintings without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-have-no-ideas-about-what-the-paintings-imply-about-the-world-i-don/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I have meant what I have done. Or I have often meant what I have done. Or I have sometimes meant what I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-have-meant-what-i-have-done-or-i-have-often-meant-what-i-have-done/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Art as a fantasy has been one of my earliest experiences. I suppose a lot of my childhood was a fantasy that involved getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-as-a-fantasy-has-been-one-of-my-earliest-experiences-i-suppose-a/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I was raised in South Carolina; I wasn't aware of any art in South Carolina. There was a minor museum in Charleston, which had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-was-raised-in-south-carolina-i-wasn-t-aware-of-any-art-in-south/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Sometime during the mid-50s I said, 'I am an artist.' Before that, for many years, I had said, 'I'm going to be an artist.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/sometime-during-the-mid-50s-i-said-i-am-an-artist-before-that-for/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [That's what painting does; it organizes vision in a certain way or suggests that certain things be paid attention to and certain other things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/that-s-what-painting-does-it-organizes-vision-in-a-certain-way-or/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that didn't matter – that would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-assumed-that-everything-would-lead-to-complete-failure-but-i/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I tend to like things that already exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-tend-to-like-things-that-already-exist/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Bend color names which should be made of neon or copper tubing. Place an object on a surface - trace the object - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/bend-color-names-which-should-be-made-of-neon-or-copper-tubing-place/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [My experience with life is that it's very fragmented. In one place certain kinds of thing occur, and in another place a different kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/my-experience-with-life-is-that-it-s-very-fragmented-in-one-place/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I never wish for critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-never-wish-for-critics/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Art is either a complaint or appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-is-either-a-complaint-or-appeasement/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) [Explore all 80 Jasper Johns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## More Look quotes > [The World Is Perfect, But It Depends How You Look At.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria/the-world-is-perfect-but-it-depends-how-you-look-at/) [Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria/) > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. That is up to you, but in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-list/if-you-want-to-edit-your-photos-and-make-yourself-look-different-go/) [Peyton List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-list/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I'm tired of looking for the perfect guy. From now on.. he can look for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-tired-of-looking-for-the-perfect-guy-from-now-on-he-can-look-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not gonna squeal out that this is my 23rd retirement, my real, real retirement. But you know there comes a time where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-funk/i-m-not-gonna-squeal-out-that-this-is-my-23rd-retirement-my-real-real/) [Terry Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-funk/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [That's one of my idols, I really look up to Pacquiao. This guy is everything I would want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/that-s-one-of-my-idols-i-really-look-up-to-pacquiao-this-guy-is/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [What I'd look for are roles in which the heroine's character has substance rather than just glamour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhika-pandit/what-i-d-look-for-are-roles-in-which-the-heroine-s-character-has/) [Radhika Pandit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhika-pandit/) > [If you look at the charts every year, there may be five or ten memorable songs from each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/if-you-look-at-the-charts-every-year-there-may-be-five-or-ten/) [Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [“do i look like i can't hear you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanenbaum/do-i-look-like-i-can-t-hear-you/) [Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanenbaum/) > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... I think it really does look so different for everyone who does it, I'm always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-know-what-successful-journaling-really-looks-like-i-think-it/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) [Browse all 19,477 Look quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a radiator.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jasper Johns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same-way-you-look-at-a-radiator/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Look" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same-way-you-look-at-a-radiator/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/jasper-johns-8447_look_a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same_844398.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A picture ought to be looked at the same way you look at a radiator.” — Jasper Johns", "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": "Jasper Johns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A picture ought to be looked...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same-way-you-look-at-a-radiator/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/a-picture-ought-to-be-looked-at-the-same-way-you-look-at-a-radiator/#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 } } ] } ```