--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Portraits I've done in the past I've…" description: "\"Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a reflection of me.\" — Judy Dater" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg" --- # Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a… ![“Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a reflection of me.” quote by Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg) > “Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a reflection of me.” [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Past portraits were seen as mirrors reflecting the photographer’s identity. **In simple terms:** Portraits reflected her self. Key Takeaway Recognize self‑projection in art. Themes art identity self‑reflection Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery shows - personal projects - teaching art Key Concepts psychology visual arts Questions to Reflect On - How do your creations reveal you? - Can art be a window for others? A Different Perspective Art can also project external narratives, not just self. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I was shooting lots of large format portraits then but I've since changed to digital, where you have so much more control. 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Yet human beings have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/attention-is-riveted-on-what-is-tangible-useful-instantly-available/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [“it is when thus relieved from the state of tension belonging to actual study that boys and girls, as well as men and women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-when-thus-relieved-from-the-state-of-tension-belonging-to/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilopa/no-thought-no-reflection-no-analysis-no-cultivation-no-intention-let/) [Tilopa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilopa/) > [A portrait is a picture in which there is just a tiny little something not quite right about the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/a-portrait-is-a-picture-in-which-there-is-just-a-tiny-little/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [One is never satisfied with a portrait of persons whom one knows. That is why I have always pitied portraitists. One demands so seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/one-is-never-satisfied-with-a-portrait-of-persons-whom-one-knows-that/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I paint German artists whom I admire. I paint their pictures, their work as painters, and their portraits too. But oddly enough, each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-paint-german-artists-whom-i-admire-i-paint-their-pictures-their/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [I hate to paint portraits! I hope never to paint another portrait in my life. Portraiture may be all right for a man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/i-hate-to-paint-portraits-i-hope-never-to-paint-another-portrait-in/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [The future turns out to be something that you make instead of find. It isn't waiting for your arrival, either with an arrest warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-future-turns-out-to-be-something-that-you-make-instead-of-find-it/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [People don't have time to wait for somebody to paint their portraits anymore. The money is in photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/people-don-t-have-time-to-wait-for-somebody-to-paint-their-portraits/) [Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/) > [Many times I see you as a portrait of torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/many-times-i-see-you-as-a-portrait-of-torture/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [In a portrait, you always leave part of yourself behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/in-a-portrait-you-always-leave-part-of-yourself-behind/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [In 1984, I was contacted by Michael Taylor, who had won a commission from a sponsor and decided he would like to paint a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bream/in-1984-i-was-contacted-by-michael-taylor-who-had-won-a-commission/) [Julian Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bream/) ## More by Judy Dater > [I've done a lot of nudes and there's always a sexual charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-nudes-and-there-s-always-a-sexual-charge/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) > [I think when you're photographing - when anybody's photographing another person in a private situation, it's a kind of a seduction but it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/i-think-when-you-re-photographing-when-anybody-s-photographing/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) > [I want to show people as they are, not glorified, no shame - fat, bulges, wrinkles and all. I want the work to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/i-want-to-show-people-as-they-are-not-glorified-no-shame-fat-bulges/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) > [I've consciously tried to be provocative and disturbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/i-ve-consciously-tried-to-be-provocative-and-disturbing/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) > [I started photographing men in 1964. Fourteen years later I got a Guggenheim, even so no one would publish the male nudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/i-started-photographing-men-in-1964-fourteen-years-later-i-got-a/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) > [The older I get, the one thing I can trust in myself more than anything else is the way I feel about something. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/the-older-i-get-the-one-thing-i-can-trust-in-myself-more-than/) [Judy Dater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) [Explore all 7 Judy Dater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/) ## 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 > [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": "Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a reflection of me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judy Dater" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-always-thought-were-a-reflection/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-always-thought-were-a-reflection/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f6/judy-dater-52719_artist_portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-alw_827915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Portraits I've done in the past I've always thought were a reflection of me.” — Judy Dater", "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": "Judy Dater", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dater/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Portraits I've done in the past...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-always-thought-were-a-reflection/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dater/portraits-i-ve-done-in-the-past-i-ve-always-thought-were-a-reflection/#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 } } ] } ```