--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I was trying to construct was…" description: "\"What I was trying to construct was relative symmetry, where it seems clear that the shapes have arrived through consideration.\" — Kerry James Marshall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c3/kerry-james-marshall-5157_clear_what-i-was-trying-to-construct-was-relat_2048432.jpg" --- # What I was trying to construct was relative symmetry… ![“What I was trying to construct was relative symmetry, where it seems clear that the shapes have arrived through consideration.” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c3/kerry-james-marshall-5157_clear_what-i-was-trying-to-construct-was-relat_2048432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c3/kerry-james-marshall-5157_clear_what-i-was-trying-to-construct-was-relat_2048432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c3/kerry-james-marshall-5157_clear_what-i-was-trying-to-construct-was-relat_2048432.jpg) > “What I was trying to construct was relative symmetry, where it seems clear that the shapes have arrived through consideration.” [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. He aimed to create relative symmetry, showing shapes formed through deliberate thought. **In simple terms:** Seeking balanced composition through thoughtful design. Key Takeaway Use intentional symmetry in creative work. Themes art symmetry design thoughtfulness Mood analytical inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery installations - graphic design - architectural planning - educational workshops - digital media Key Concepts visual arts composition philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does symmetry influence viewer perception? - When is asymmetry more effective? A Different Perspective Symmetry may limit expressive freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Clear Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear-shapes-3847475/) [Consideration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consideration/) [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative/) [Relative Symmetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative-symmetry-3847473/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Shapes Arrived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes-arrived-3847476/) [Symmetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symmetry/) [Symmetry Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symmetry-clear-3847474/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [The appearance is the allusion of abstraction when in fact I am in control of every aspect of that symmetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/the-appearance-is-the-allusion-of-abstraction-when-in-fact-i-am-in/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Graphic design, which evokes the symmetria of Vituvius, the dynamic symmetry of Hambidge, the asymmetry of Mondrian; which is a good gestalt, generated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/graphic-design-which-evokes-the-symmetria-of-vituvius-the-dynamic/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [We may say of agreeableness, as distinct from beauty, that it is a symmetry whose rules are unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-may-say-of-agreeableness-as-distinct-from-beauty-that-it-is-a/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Beauty is rather a light that plays over the symmetry of things than that symmetry itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plotinus/beauty-is-rather-a-light-that-plays-over-the-symmetry-of-things-than/) [Plotinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plotinus/) > [Reality is partial to symmetry and slight anachronisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/reality-is-partial-to-symmetry-and-slight-anachronisms/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The Big Bang has gone away, but as far as Super String, that is suspicious for me. 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It was a real privilege to be there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/there-s-a-symmetry-of-blissfulness-about-mongolia-it-was-a-real/) [Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The symmetry and organization of history teaches us that mankind, during its existence and development, genuinely was and became an individual, a person. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-symmetry-and-organization-of-history-teaches-us-that-mankind/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [“I’ve been the queen of symmetry and everything had to be in identical balance, no matter how you looked at it. But I’ve realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-leigh/i-ve-been-the-queen-of-symmetry-and-everything-had-to-be-in-identical/) [Taryn Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-leigh/) ## More by Kerry James Marshall > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. 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