---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Portraiture is something that we're all…"
description: "\"Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large, to look at human beings than a bowl of fruit..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg"
---

#  Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think…

![“Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large, to look at human beings than a bowl of fruit.” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg)

> “Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large, to look at human beings than a bowl of fruit.”

[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.

Humans naturally gravitate toward portraiture, preferring faces over inanimate objects.

**In simple terms:** People love looking at other people.

Key Takeaway

Focus on human subjects for connection.

Themes

art humanity visual culture

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- gallery curation
- advertising
- social media
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

portraiture anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are we drawn to faces?
- How can portraiture broaden empathy?

A Different Perspective

Portraits can reinforce stereotypes if not diverse.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bowls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bowls/) [Drawn Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawn-think-2138719/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Look Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-human-1274028/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Portraiture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraiture/) [Portraiture Drawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraiture-drawn-2138718/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [I think I've always sorta been drawn, I think a lot of actresses are, to Shakespeare's Juliet, just because she goes through so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/i-think-i-ve-always-sorta-been-drawn-i-think-a-lot-of-actresses-are/)

[Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/)

> [I've been taking art lessons since I was little, and I've always drawn. I think in pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-ve-been-taking-art-lessons-since-i-was-little-and-i-ve-always-drawn/)

[Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/)

> [What it is is a type of editorialization, you know? This is self-portraiture. This is what you think about the world we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/what-it-is-is-a-type-of-editorialization-you-know-this-is-self/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [I have a really strong suspicion of the romantic nature of portraiture, the idea that you're telling some essential truth about the interior lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-have-a-really-strong-suspicion-of-the-romantic-nature-of/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Going to the Huntington gardens and libraries was radically important for me. They have one of the best collections of 18th- and 19th-century British…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/going-to-the-huntington-gardens-and-libraries-was-radically-important/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [I think what's really interesting and useful about this question is that ultimately all art is a type of self-portraiture. And so in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-what-s-really-interesting-and-useful-about-this-question-is/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [What is portraiture? It's choice. It's the ability to position your body in the world for the world to celebrate you on your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/what-is-portraiture-it-s-choice-it-s-the-ability-to-position-your/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [All art is self-portraiture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/all-art-is-self-portraiture/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [We have a lot of sort of received historical ways of viewing portraiture. And I suppose in some way I'm sort of questioning that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/we-have-a-lot-of-sort-of-received-historical-ways-of-viewing/)

[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/)

> [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/)

> [I think the actresses who are really successful are comfortable in their own skins and still look human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-think-the-actresses-who-are-really-successful-are-comfortable-in/)

[Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/)

> [When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/when-you-say-black-is-beautiful-you-are-saying-man-you-are-okay-as/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [“Do I look human enough to pass in the day?" "Yes, Suze. You do if you're looking to be a bouncer at a strip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emi-gayle/do-i-look-human-enough-to-pass-in-the-day-yes-suze-you-do-if-you-re/)

[Emi Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emi-gayle/)

> [I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail, leaving a trail of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-would-like-my-pictures-to-look-as-if-a-human-being-had-passed/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

## 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 Bowls quotes

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

> [From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens - the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-sergeant-angell-white/from-december-to-march-there-are-for-many-of-us-three-gardens-the/)

[Katharine Sergeant Angell White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-sergeant-angell-white/)

> [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/)

[Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/)

> [Contemplating the bowl, it is possible to see the interdependent elements which give rise to the bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/contemplating-the-bowl-it-is-possible-to-see-the-interdependent/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [I was nineteen and I put a bowl on and I said, Cut around! Because it was not the fashion at the time when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-was-nineteen-and-i-put-a-bowl-on-and-i-said-cut-around-because-it/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [You have to make that stand out from the rest of the three hours. There are times when I'm having fun and being loose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/you-have-to-make-that-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-three-hours/)

[Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/)

> [We didn't win a Super Bowl together, and that's something I'll always regret - not knowing what that feels like. But you and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/we-didn-t-win-a-super-bowl-together-and-that-s-something-i-ll-always/)

[Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/)

> [I come from both sides of the spectrum: I grew up listening to hip-hop and R&B then learned how to make a track by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotic/i-come-from-both-sides-of-the-spectrum-i-grew-up-listening-to-hip-hop/)

[Lotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotic/)

> [When your Super Bowl guests arrive, they should find a mound of potato chips large enough to conceal a pony sitting in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/when-your-super-bowl-guests-arrive-they-should-find-a-mound-of-potato/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Men are very confident people. Even a sixty-year-old man with no arms thinks he could play in the Super Bowl if he had to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/men-are-very-confident-people-even-a-sixty-year-old-man-with-no-arms/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [The reality is that most of us sit at home and read about the Super Bowl and the 1,000 parties, and we won't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-anderson/the-reality-is-that-most-of-us-sit-at-home-and-read-about-the-super/)

[Charlie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-anderson/)

> [Make of the Silence your to-do tasks, of the compassion your wealth and of the meditation your beggar's bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/make-of-the-silence-your-to-do-tasks-of-the-compassion-your-wealth/)

[Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/)

> [Most times a person grows up gradually, but I found myself in a hurry... Hoping to find an answer, I uncovered an article about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-august/most-times-a-person-grows-up-gradually-but-i-found-myself-in-a-hurry/)

[John August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-august/)

> [I rather be divisive than boring. The last thing I want to be is a bowl of sugar free vanilla pudding, it's not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/i-rather-be-divisive-than-boring-the-last-thing-i-want-to-be-is-a/)

[Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/)

> [As a kid, there was a painting of 'Appeal to the Great Spirit' that I would see when I would get oatmeal bowls out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/as-a-kid-there-was-a-painting-of-appeal-to-the-great-spirit-that-i/)

[Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/)

[Browse all 481 Bowls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bowls/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large, to look at human beings than a bowl of fruit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kehinde Wiley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all-drawn-to-i-think-primarily/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bowls"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all-drawn-to-i-think-primarily/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/kehinde-wiley-1194_bowls_portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all_2624580.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large…” — 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": "Portraiture is something that we're all...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all-drawn-to-i-think-primarily/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/portraiture-is-something-that-we-re-all-drawn-to-i-think-primarily/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```