--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I spent all day wandering up and down the…" description: "\"“I spent all day wandering up and down the hallways, staring at the Mona Lisa and Canova’s 'Psyche and Cupid' and the 'Venus de Milo' and Caravaggio’s ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/jonathan-hull-14193_art_i-spent-all-day-wandering-up-and-down-th_3059614.jpg" --- # I spent all day wandering up and down the hallways… ![“I spent all day wandering up and down the hallways, staring at the Mona Lisa and Canova’s 'Psyche and Cupid' and the 'Venus de Milo' and Caravaggio’s 'The Death of the Virgin' and hundreds of other works in all shapes and sizes and colors. Just before I was about to leave, I was staring at…” quote by Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/jonathan-hull-14193_art_i-spent-all-day-wandering-up-and-down-th_3059614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/jonathan-hull-14193_art_i-spent-all-day-wandering-up-and-down-th_3059614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/jonathan-hull-14193_art_i-spent-all-day-wandering-up-and-down-th_3059614.jpg) > ““I spent all day wandering up and down the hallways, staring at the Mona Lisa and Canova’s 'Psyche and Cupid' and the 'Venus de Milo' and Caravaggio’s 'The Death of the Virgin' and hundreds of other works in all shapes and sizes and colors. Just before I was about to leave, I was staring at Michelangelo’s 'The Dying Slave', and I suddenly realized that every single work I had seen expressed the same thing, the same intense longing for beauty and immortality and justice and compassion. It was as though all of these artists from throughout history were there in those long hallways crying out the same anguished plea in a thousand different languages.”” [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker perceives a universal yearning in art for beauty, immortality, justice, and compassion, linking disparate works across time. **In simple terms:** Art shares a common deep longing. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity in art. Themes art humanity beauty justice compassion Mood contemplative inspired reflective Type philosophical inspirational observational When to use this quote - Museum visits - art education - personal reflection - creative inspiration Key Concepts Existential longing universal themes cultural continuity Questions to Reflect On - How does art reflect shared human values? - What emotions arise when confronting timeless works? A Different Perspective Interpretation may be subjective and overlook individual artist intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Caravaggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caravaggio-2648602/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Different languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-languages/) [Longing Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-beauty-1751064/) [Michelangelo Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michelangelo-dying-5125732/) [Mona lisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mona-lisa/) [Staring Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring-michelangelo-5125731/) [Venus de milo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venus-de-milo/) ## Related quotes > [The preliminaries were out of the way, the creative process was about to begin. The creative process, that mystic life force, that splurge out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/the-preliminaries-were-out-of-the-way-the-creative-process-was-about/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [I'm continually wrestling with the idea that there are certain things in this world that simply don't fit. The idea that I have this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-m-continually-wrestling-with-the-idea-that-there-are-certain-things/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/oh-woman-come-before-us-before-our-eyes-longing-for-beauty-and-tired/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [“Shall the water not remember Ember my hand’s slow gesture, tracing above of its mirror my half-imaginary airy portrait? My only belonging longing; is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-chappell/shall-the-water-not-remember-ember-my-hand-s-slow-gesture-tracing/) [Fred Chappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-chappell/) > [“Caravaggio was constantly diverted by the human element during burglaries. Breaking into a house during Christmas, he would become annoyed if the Advent calendar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/caravaggio-was-constantly-diverted-by-the-human-element-during/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Pope Francis tells us who he is by pointing to Caravaggio's St. Matthew: 'Here, this is me, a sinner on whom the Lord has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/pope-francis-tells-us-who-he-is-by-pointing-to-caravaggio-s-st/) [Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/) > [“Birds prefer trees with dead branches,’ said Caravaggio. ‘They have complete vistas from where they perch. They can take off in any direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/birds-prefer-trees-with-dead-branches-said-caravaggio-they-have/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [A comparably capacious embrace of beauty and pleasure - an embrace that somehow extends to death as well as life, to dissolution as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/a-comparably-capacious-embrace-of-beauty-and-pleasure-an-embrace-that/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [“Caravaggio to another. I’m sure that’s crossed Ariosto’s mind, Coffin considered. Wonder if he’s more focused on retrieving this one, or if he thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-charney/caravaggio-to-another-i-m-sure-that-s-crossed-ariosto-s-mind-coffin/) [Noah Charney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-charney/) > [If you want to learn how to paint, go to Caravaggio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/if-you-want-to-learn-how-to-paint-go-to-caravaggio/) [Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/) > [“The man named Caravaggio pushes open all the windows in the room so he can hear the noises of the night. He undresses, rubs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/the-man-named-caravaggio-pushes-open-all-the-windows-in-the-room-so/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [“Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum’s Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/renowned-curator-jacques-sauni-re-staggered-through-the-vaulted/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [If Caravaggio was a photographer today, I would love to work with him. I love his dark vision - I have a dark vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/if-caravaggio-was-a-photographer-today-i-would-love-to-work-with-him/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [I live in Rome and five minutes from my flat is a church where you can walk in and see this beautiful Caravaggio. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiye-selasi/i-live-in-rome-and-five-minutes-from-my-flat-is-a-church-where-you/) [Taiye Selasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiye-selasi/) ## More by Jonathan Hull > [I've known people whose faces rested naturally in a smile and I'm certain their lives were much different because of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/i-ve-known-people-whose-faces-rested-naturally-in-a-smile-and-i-m/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“I noticed how the band members watched her and how she made them smile and I realized that she was the kind of person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/i-noticed-how-the-band-members-watched-her-and-how-she-made-them/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [Maybe what life needs is a good soundtrack, especially during the long stretches when nothing interesting is being said. A soundtrack might dignify things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/maybe-what-life-needs-is-a-good-soundtrack-especially-during-the-long/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“Completely alive. I thought abut what she meant by that; about all the joy and wonder and passion that had slipped from her fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/completely-alive-i-thought-abut-what-she-meant-by-that-about-all-the/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“Maybe our relationships--love--can save us, at least enough so that our lives are finally worthwhile, even with all the rotten misery and dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/maybe-our-relationships-love-can-save-us-at-least-enough-so-that-our/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“What I remember most is the searing sensation of looking into her eyes for the first time,eyes that would hunt me for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/what-i-remember-most-is-the-searing-sensation-of-looking-into-her/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“But to find it and touch it and hold it! What relief, if only briefly, until love wears off or slips through our hands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/but-to-find-it-and-touch-it-and-hold-it-what-relief-if-only-briefly/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“Our lives feel fuller when we can weave them into stories, even if not all the stories are true and even if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/our-lives-feel-fuller-when-we-can-weave-them-into-stories-even-if-not/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“I often wondered why men will risk almost certain death in an attempt to save other men. I decided it was because men will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/i-often-wondered-why-men-will-risk-almost-certain-death-in-an-attempt/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [Books aren’t just my defenses, the sandbags I use to fortify my position; they are also the building blocks of my soul, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/books-aren-t-just-my-defenses-the-sandbags-i-use-to-fortify-my/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [ “Was \[her\] life really better than most, or did she appreciate it more or just remember it differently? I suspect she remembers it differently,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/was-her-life-really-better-than-most-or-did-she-appreciate-it-more-or/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“The air was unusually warm and humid and I wondered if everyone else associated that sensation with childhood, with bare feet and wet grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/the-air-was-unusually-warm-and-humid-and-i-wondered-if-everyone-else/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [Why does the longing for love have to be so acute, like a desperate thirst? Is it because love is wanting to be saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/why-does-the-longing-for-love-have-to-be-so-acute-like-a-desperate/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“Our quest for heroism is awkward. Not the obvious heroism that earns medals and applause but the heroism of daily life. Go to Princeton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/our-quest-for-heroism-is-awkward-not-the-obvious-heroism-that-earns/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [“What is it about beauty that intimidates; causing us to kneel somewhere deep inside and pray and wonder just how close we might crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/what-is-it-about-beauty-that-intimidates-causing-us-to-kneel/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) [Explore all 47 Jonathan Hull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I spent all day wandering up and down the hallways, staring at the Mona Lisa and Canova’s 'Psyche and Cupid' and the 'Venus de Milo' and Caravaggio’s 'The Death of the Virgin' and hundreds of other works in all shapes and sizes and colors. Just before I was about to leave, I was staring at Michelangelo’s 'The Dying Slave', and I suddenly realized that every single work I had seen expressed the same thing, the same intense longing for beauty and immortality and justice and compassion. 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