--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the contrary, my desire is that the…" description: "\"On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the background coming forward in the lower portion of the canvas, fighting for space, demanding pres..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg" --- # On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the… ![“On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the background coming forward in the lower portion of the canvas, fighting for space, demanding presence.” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg) > “On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the background coming forward in the lower portion of the canvas, fighting for space, demanding presence.” [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. He wants the background to assert itself, demanding visual space and presence. **In simple terms:** Background should be prominent and assertive. Key Takeaway Give background elements equal visual weight. Themes art composition presence Mood analytical creative Type artistic instructional When to use this quote - gallery exhibition - studio planning - art education Key Concepts spatial dynamics foreground‑background tension Questions to Reflect On - How do you make background elements compelling? - What techniques highlight hidden layers? A Different Perspective Balancing foreground and background can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Background Coming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background-coming-1395885/) [Backgrounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backgrounds/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Canvas Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas-fighting-1395884/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Demanding Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demanding-presence-1395883/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-space-1363246/) [Portions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portions/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Viewer Sees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewer-sees-276404/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) ## Related quotes > [“Safety was one thing, but what he really wanted was to be electrified, to be wounded, to be cast into the wilderness, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shields/safety-was-one-thing-but-what-he-really-wanted-was-to-be-electrified/) [Carol Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-shields/) > [The viewer who sees only a study in the picture of the glass jug illuminated from behind fails to appreciate the masterly composition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-rodchenko/the-viewer-who-sees-only-a-study-in-the-picture-of-the-glass-jug/) [Alexander Rodchenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-rodchenko/) > [So, all of us would do well to stop fighting each other for our space at the bottom, because there ain't no more room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-clarke/so-all-of-us-would-do-well-to-stop-fighting-each-other-for-our-space/) [Cheryl Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-clarke/) > [“There are things the artist intends, and things the viewer sees, and what the viewer sees isn't always what the artist intends. Isn't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/there-are-things-the-artist-intends-and-things-the-viewer-sees-and/) [Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/) > [Asian-Americans are fighting for space and fighting for visibility and for acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nam/asian-americans-are-fighting-for-space-and-fighting-for-visibility/) [Eric Nam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nam/) > [If I were making paintings of a bowl of fruit it would still be viewed through some sort of political lens, because the viewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/if-i-were-making-paintings-of-a-bowl-of-fruit-it-would-still-be/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [More than 40 per cent of my viewers are female. When I do meetups and events, oftentimes the majority of people who show up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/contrapoints/more-than-40-per-cent-of-my-viewers-are-female-when-i-do-meetups-and/) [ContraPoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/contrapoints/) > [Good design encourages a viewer to want to learn more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-isley/good-design-encourages-a-viewer-to-want-to-learn-more/) [Alexander Isley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-isley/) > [Our eyes are not viewers, they're also projectors that are running a second story over the picture that we see in front of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/our-eyes-are-not-viewers-they-re-also-projectors-that-are-running-a/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [The one thing that seems to be consistent through all my work that I like, and I experimented a lot, is the viewer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-misrach/the-one-thing-that-seems-to-be-consistent-through-all-my-work-that-i/) [Richard Misrach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-misrach/) > [I want viewers to see that everything is connected, even the little guys like pollinators and flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/i-want-viewers-to-see-that-everything-is-connected-even-the-little/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [I've taken my cue from people here and from viewers, especially survivors-who said, 'When it's time to literally flip your wig, you'll know.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/i-ve-taken-my-cue-from-people-here-and-from-viewers-especially/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [I want the paintings to take me or the viewer out somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-want-the-paintings-to-take-me-or-the-viewer-out-somewhere-else/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [Bring the viewer to your side, include him in your thought. He is not a bystander. You have the power to increase his perceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/bring-the-viewer-to-your-side-include-him-in-your-thought-he-is-not-a/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## 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 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": "On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the background coming forward in the lower portion of the canvas, fighting for space, demanding presence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kehinde Wiley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-viewer-sees-the-background/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-viewer-sees-the-background/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/kehinde-wiley-1194_backgrounds_on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-vi_917614.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the contrary, my desire is that the viewer sees the background coming forward in the lower portion of the…” — 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": "On the contrary, my desire is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-viewer-sees-the-background/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/on-the-contrary-my-desire-is-that-the-viewer-sees-the-background/#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 } } ] } ```