--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think one of the things that I took…" description: "\"I think one of the things that I took from Mel [Bochner] specifically was his ability to look at oneself and one's relationship to the history of art a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg" --- # I think one of the things that I took from Mel \[Bochner\]… ![“I think one of the things that I took from Mel [Bochner] specifically was his ability to look at oneself and one's relationship to the history of art and the practice of art at arm's length, the ability to sort of clinically and coldly remove oneself from the picture and to see it simply as a set…” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg) > “I think one of the things that I took from Mel \[Bochner\] specifically was his ability to look at oneself and one's relationship to the history of art and the practice of art at arm's length, the ability to sort of clinically and coldly remove oneself from the picture and to see it simply as a set of rules, habits, systems, moving parts.” [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## 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 describes using a detached, analytical view of one's own art practice, treating it as a system of rules and habits rather than a personal identity. **In simple terms:** Step art as a system of rules. Key Takeaway Analyze your work objectively. Themes self‑reflection art criticism methodology Mood contemplative analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - studio practice - art education - creative planning Key Concepts systems thinking detachment critical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance objectivity with personal expression? - What rules limit your artistic growth? A Different Perspective May overlook emotional intuition in creation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ability Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-look-375162/) [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Bochner Specifically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bochner-specifically-2402897/) [Clinically Coldly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinically-coldly-2402898/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [History Of Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-art/) [Length](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/length/) [Look Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-oneself-517432/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving parts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-parts/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Oneself Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-picture-644224/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Remove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remove/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I am an artist and a writer, and I do think that one always places oneself in the picture to see where one fits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-am-an-artist-and-a-writer-and-i-do-think-that-one-always-places-2/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I am an artist and a writer, and I do think that one always places oneself in the picture to see where one fits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-am-an-artist-and-a-writer-and-i-do-think-that-one-always-places/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Gratitude is important. One has to look beyond oneself to see that while there may be people who are far better off, one has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-pillai/gratitude-is-important-one-has-to-look-beyond-oneself-to-see-that/) [Rhea Pillai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-pillai/) > [“...we're all so interdependent that in order to look after oneself one's got to look after others no less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/we-re-all-so-interdependent-that-in-order-to-look-after-oneself-one-s/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“I feel towards persons as I do towards art, — constructively. Find all the good first. 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I look at a problem, play with it, work out a strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/i-don-t-have-any-magical-ability-i-look-at-a-problem-play-with-it/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [As an illustrator you need to understand the human body - but having looked at and understood nature, you must develop an ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/as-an-illustrator-you-need-to-understand-the-human-body-but-having/) [Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/) > [To perceive the aura of an object we look at means to invest it with the ability to look at us in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/to-perceive-the-aura-of-an-object-we-look-at-means-to-invest-it-with/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [What makes a person is the ability to look at themselves and deal with their own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-campbell/what-makes-a-person-is-the-ability-to-look-at-themselves-and-deal/) [Naomi Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-campbell/) > [An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/an-ability-to-look-into-the-confusing-mess-of-life-and-see-things-for/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I'm kind of a builder of institutions. I think I've got some ability to look at what's out here, look at a playing field,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/i-m-kind-of-a-builder-of-institutions-i-think-i-ve-got-some-ability/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/for-any-writer-the-ability-to-look-at-a-sentence-and-see-what-s/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## More by Kehinde Wiley > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The erotic and the art historical imagination is something that gets very little play when people talk about my work, and when they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/the-erotic-and-the-art-historical-imagination-is-something-that-gets/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [At its best, what art does is, it points to who we as human beings and what we as human beings value. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/at-its-best-what-art-does-is-it-points-to-who-we-as-human-beings-and/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [My style is in the 21st century. If you look at the process, it goes from photography through Photoshop, where certain features are heightened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/my-style-is-in-the-21st-century-if-you-look-at-the-process-it-goes/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think the world that I grew up in was like being in this sort of magical artistic garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-the-world-that-i-grew-up-in-was-like-being-in-this-sort-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [It was something that came sort of matter-of-factually. Because there - it's like really - real honest engagement with the people around me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/it-was-something-that-came-sort-of-matter-of-factually-because-there/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [We're wired to be empathetic and to care about the needs of others, but also to be curious about others. And I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/we-re-wired-to-be-empathetic-and-to-care-about-the-needs-of-others/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Painting is situational. And my particular situation exists within gender, race, class, sexuality, nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/painting-is-situational-and-my-particular-situation-exists-within/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [There were certain expectations that were assumed of me as a young black American 20th-century - then 20th-century artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/there-were-certain-expectations-that-were-assumed-of-me-as-a-young/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think, something that you might be able to locate in the work that I'm creating today: the ability to look at a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-something-that-you-might-be-able-to-locate-in-the-work-that-i/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I remember the first time I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and saw a Kerry James Marshall painting with black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-the-los-angeles-county-museum-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I believe that artists should be part of the culture. I think that my work clearly bears that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-believe-that-artists-should-be-part-of-the-culture-i-think-that-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-guess-art-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Just physically, if you looked at the house that I grew up in, my mother created this greenhouse. And surrounded the entire property. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/just-physically-if-you-looked-at-the-house-that-i-grew-up-in-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) [Explore all 275 Kehinde Wiley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think one of the things that I took from Mel [Bochner] specifically was his ability to look at oneself and one's relationship to the history of art and the practice of art at arm's length, the ability to sort of clinically and coldly remove oneself from the picture and to see it simply as a set of rules, habits, systems, moving parts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kehinde Wiley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-from-mel-bochner-specifically/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-from-mel-bochner-specifically/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d03/kehinde-wiley-1194_ability_i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-fr_1847799.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think one of the things that I took from Mel [Bochner] specifically was his ability to look at oneself and…” — Kehinde Wiley", "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": "Kehinde Wiley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think one of the things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-from-mel-bochner-specifically/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-one-of-the-things-that-i-took-from-mel-bochner-specifically/#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 } } ] } ```