--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want people to understand that this is…" description: "\"I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image [Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ], where point by point, very l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg" --- # I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated… ![“I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image [Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ], where point by point, very little is left to chance.” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg) > “I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image \[Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self \], where point by point, very little is left to chance.” [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist emphasizes meticulous control, each detail deliberately chosen, leaving minimal randomness. **In simple terms:** Careful planning shapes the final image. Key Takeaway Focus on precision in creation. Themes art control detail Mood thoughtful analytical Type reflective descriptive When to use this quote - photography - digital art - exhibition planning - creative process Key Concepts visual composition intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How does precision affect viewer interpretation? - What aspects of art benefit from spontaneity? A Different Perspective Even with careful planning, unexpected variables can arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-shadow-2269917/) [Calibrated Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calibrated-image-3580628/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Image Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image-portrait-541765/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait/) [Portrait Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait-artist-577211/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [ You can describe \[Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self\] as a manifesto of sorts. I saw it as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/you-can-describe-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-shadow-of-his-former/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [ \[My picture A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self \] was a way of demonstrating that there was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/my-picture-a-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-shadow-of-his-former-self/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [ If you look at the image \[ Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self \], it treads on a kind… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/if-you-look-at-the-image-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-shadow-of-his/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [My first black-on-black picture was 'The Portrait of an Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self.' I started using it as an emblem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/my-first-black-on-black-picture-was-the-portrait-of-an-artist-as-a/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is in fact the gestation of a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ellmann/a-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-man-is-in-fact-the-gestation-of-a/) [Richard Ellmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ellmann/) > [Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/every-portrait-that-is-painted-with-feeling-is-a-portrait-of-the-3/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. the sitter is merely the accident, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/every-portrait-that-is-painted-with-feeling-is-a-portrait-of-the-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/every-portrait-that-is-painted-with-feeling-is-a-portrait-of-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [It seems dangerous to be a portrait artist who does commissions for clients because everyone wants to be flattered, so they pose in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/it-seems-dangerous-to-be-a-portrait-artist-who-does-commissions-for/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [Artists love other artists. Shadow artists are gravitating to their rightful tribe but cannot yet claim their birthright. Very often audacity, not talent, makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/artists-love-other-artists-shadow-artists-are-gravitating-to-their/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [Eloquence is a painting of thought; and thus those who, after having painted it, add something more, make a picture instead of a portrait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/eloquence-is-a-painting-of-thought-and-thus-those-who-after-having/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [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/) > [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/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Kerry James Marshall > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [When art works travel from place to place, what you have is the opportunity to engage with the intellect of another person who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-art-works-travel-from-place-to-place-what-you-have-is-the/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I try to make work about things that matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-try-to-make-work-about-things-that-matter/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I stumbled upon Charles White purely by chance while looking through a book 'Great Negroes, Past and Present' in the library at Forty-Ninth Street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-stumbled-upon-charles-white-purely-by-chance-while-looking-through/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [The lighter the skin, the more acceptable you are. The darker the skin, the more marginalised you become. I want to demonstrate that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/the-lighter-the-skin-the-more-acceptable-you-are-the-darker-the-skin/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Artwork operates on two different levels: On one level there's artwork as a mode of expressivity, and then there's the other side, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/artwork-operates-on-two-different-levels-on-one-level-there-s-artwork/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [One of the things I recognized early on, doing whatever studies of black history I have, is that even though black folks were transported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/one-of-the-things-i-recognized-early-on-doing-whatever-studies-of/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [If you walk into any magazine store, I guarantee that nine out of 10 covers will feature white, blonde, blue-eyed, slim women because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/if-you-walk-into-any-magazine-store-i-guarantee-that-nine-out-of-10/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [For black people who are really dark - and a lot of black people were averse to be dark skinned - it was believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/for-black-people-who-are-really-dark-and-a-lot-of-black-people-were/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Before people outside of the Western European tradition started asking to be in there, the people who were accumulating objects for the museum were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/before-people-outside-of-the-western-european-tradition-started/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [What I hope 'Mastry' ends up doing is completely undermining or doing away with the notion that artists are a savant: that they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/what-i-hope-mastry-ends-up-doing-is-completely-undermining-or-doing/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [My dream was always to be in museums. It's a big and important milestone and a fulfillment of one of my primary ambitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/my-dream-was-always-to-be-in-museums-it-s-a-big-and-important/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [ In \[Ralph\] Ellison's case, it's more psychological than it is phenomenal, and it's conditioned by anger, animosity, and lack of desire to engage with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/in-ralph-ellison-s-case-it-s-more-psychological-than-it-is-phenomenal/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [When I started, I was aware of using the black as a rhetorical device. It's understanding that black people come in a wide range…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-i-started-i-was-aware-of-using-the-black-as-a-rhetorical-device/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [No one has a right to occupy the privileged position all the time, so it should be contested. It should always be messy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/no-one-has-a-right-to-occupy-the-privileged-position-all-the-time-so/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) [Explore all 103 Kerry James Marshall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image [Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ], where point by point, very little is left to chance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kerry James Marshall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is-a-very-calibrated-image/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is-a-very-calibrated-image/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image [Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His…” — Kerry James Marshall", "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": "Kerry James Marshall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I want people to understand that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is-a-very-calibrated-image/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is-a-very-calibrated-image/#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 } } ] } ```