--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Painting does more than just point to…" description: "\"Painting does more than just point to things. The very act of pointing is a value statement.\" — Kehinde Wiley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/kehinde-wiley-1194_artist_painting-does-more-than-just-point-to-th_616369.jpg" --- # Painting does more than just point to things. The very act… ![“Painting does more than just point to things. The very act of pointing is a value statement.” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/kehinde-wiley-1194_artist_painting-does-more-than-just-point-to-th_616369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/kehinde-wiley-1194_artist_painting-does-more-than-just-point-to-th_616369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/kehinde-wiley-1194_artist_painting-does-more-than-just-point-to-th_616369.jpg) > “Painting does more than just point to things. The very act of pointing is a value statement.” [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. Artistic gestures, like pointing, are themselves statements of value, not just references. **In simple terms:** The act of pointing in art conveys meaning. Key Takeaway Use artistic choices to express values. Themes art symbolism value Mood analytical creative Type critical educational When to use this quote - gallery displays - public murals - educational workshops - artist statements Key Concepts visual communication conceptual art Questions to Reflect On - What values does your artwork communicate? - How do cultural contexts alter interpretation? A Different Perspective It may assume all viewers interpret gestures uniformly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) ## Related quotes > [At a fundamental level photography is much like pointing, and all of us occasionally point at things: look at that, look at that sailboat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/at-a-fundamental-level-photography-is-much-like-pointing-and-all-of/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [My painting does not come from the easel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/my-painting-does-not-come-from-the-easel/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [When one is painting one does not think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/when-one-is-painting-one-does-not-think/) [Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/) > [Painting does what we cannot do—it brings a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-jones/painting-does-what-we-cannot-do-it-brings-a-three-dimensional-world/) [Chuck Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-jones/) > [I think a good painting or a good work of art does many things it wants, I mean, maybe 15 or 20 or 100.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-think-a-good-painting-or-a-good-work-of-art-does-many-things-it/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [It's always hopeless to talk about painting - one never does anything but talk around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-s-always-hopeless-to-talk-about-painting-one-never-does-anything/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Painting does not come from intelligence so much, as from sight and feeling and invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gilbert-hamerton/painting-does-not-come-from-intelligence-so-much-as-from-sight-and/) [Philip Gilbert Hamerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gilbert-hamerton/) > [The older painting - well, it does have an effect all at once, I suppose, but it's of a lesser intensity than a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-judd/the-older-painting-well-it-does-have-an-effect-all-at-once-i-suppose/) [Donald Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-judd/) > [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/) > [The great and glorious masterpiece of men is to live to the point. All other things-to reign, to hoard, to build-are, at most, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-great-and-glorious-masterpiece-of-men-is-to-live-to-the-point-all/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The job of the artist is to point at things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/the-job-of-the-artist-is-to-point-at-things/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [That's how life is. All eyes on you, and all things point to you. Once things don't go well, fingers going to point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/that-s-how-life-is-all-eyes-on-you-and-all-things-point-to-you-once/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [I'm an average enough person to point to the things I've gotten to see that are awe-inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-m-an-average-enough-person-to-point-to-the-things-i-ve-gotten-to/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [Comedy is able to point out things in ways that more serious people cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/comedy-is-able-to-point-out-things-in-ways-that-more-serious-people/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [I point out things on the floor that I see, so we can be successful as a team overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-dudley/i-point-out-things-on-the-floor-that-i-see-so-we-can-be-successful-as/) [Jared Dudley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-dudley/) ## 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 > [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": "Painting does more than just point to things. 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