--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started to concentrate more upon how…" description: "\"I started to concentrate more upon how the viewer looks at photographs... I would insert my own text or my own specific reading of the image to give th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/lorna-simpson-41534_dues_i-started-to-concentrate-more-upon-how-t_1847305.jpg" --- # I started to concentrate more upon how the viewer looks at… ![“I started to concentrate more upon how the viewer looks at photographs... I would insert my own text or my own specific reading of the image to give the viewer something they might not interpret or surmise, due to their educated way of looking at images, and reading them for their emotional…” quote by Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/lorna-simpson-41534_dues_i-started-to-concentrate-more-upon-how-t_1847305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/lorna-simpson-41534_dues_i-started-to-concentrate-more-upon-how-t_1847305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/lorna-simpson-41534_dues_i-started-to-concentrate-more-upon-how-t_1847305.jpg) > “I started to concentrate more upon how the viewer looks at photographs... I would insert my own text or my own specific reading of the image to give the viewer something they might not interpret or surmise, due to their educated way of looking at images, and reading them for their emotional, psychological, and/or sociological values. So I would start to interject these things that the photograph would not speak of and that I felt needed to be revealed, but that couldn't be revealed from just looking at an image.” [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes adding textual interpretation to photographs to reveal hidden emotional, psychological, and sociological meanings beyond visual perception. **In simple terms:** Add words to photos to expose deeper meanings. Key Takeaway Use captions or commentary to guide viewer insight. Themes art interpretation visual communication contextualization Mood thoughtful analytical Type interpretive educational When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - educational workshops - media analysis - curatorial practice Key Concepts semiotics critical theory viewer perception Questions to Reflect On - How does text change your reading of an image? - When is silence more powerful than commentary? A Different Perspective Relying on text may limit personal viewer imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Educated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Insert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insert/) [Looking Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-image-2398870/) [Looking Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-images-877934/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Looks Photographs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks-photographs-2398873/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sociological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociological/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Viewer Interpret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewer-interpret-2398871/) [Viewer Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewer-looks-2398872/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [The eye and brain are not like a fax machine, nor are there little people looking at the images coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/the-eye-and-brain-are-not-like-a-fax-machine-nor-are-there-little/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [With Steven Meisel, I'd looked at his work from afar and always loved it, and when I started to work with him, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-palau/with-steven-meisel-i-d-looked-at-his-work-from-afar-and-always-loved/) [Guido Palau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-palau/) > [I'm not looking for images, They just appear and take on an interest. Sometimes you look at a thing and it has no interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-m-not-looking-for-images-they-just-appear-and-take-on-an-interest/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [There's no particular class of photograph that I think is any better than any other class. I'm always and forever looking for the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/there-s-no-particular-class-of-photograph-that-i-think-is-any-better/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I don't like people looking at someone else's image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-curry/i-don-t-like-people-looking-at-someone-else-s-image/) [Stephen Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-curry/) > [To see color as form means looking at the image in a new way, trying to free oneself from absorption in subject matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-weston/to-see-color-as-form-means-looking-at-the-image-in-a-new-way-trying/) [Cole Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-weston/) > [The number of times I'm looking at an image of myself in bed, and being like, 'Who is that person?' The dysmorphia is crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-sennott/the-number-of-times-i-m-looking-at-an-image-of-myself-in-bed-and/) [Rachel Sennott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-sennott/) > [The first thing I do when I get up is I look out the window. I've been looking at the same image for six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/the-first-thing-i-do-when-i-get-up-is-i-look-out-the-window-i-ve-been/) [Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/) > [This is the funny thing about Skype. No one is really looking into the camera. People always looking down because they're looking at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/this-is-the-funny-thing-about-skype-no-one-is-really-looking-into-the/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [“Interpretation is directly related to a person's frame of mind. Looking at the same image, a person could see two different things depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/interpretation-is-directly-related-to-a-person-s-frame-of-mind/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [Computer vision and machine learning have really started to take off, but for most people, the whole idea of what is a computer seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/computer-vision-and-machine-learning-have-really-started-to-take-off/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [Humanism is not wrong in its cry for sociological healing, but humanism is not producing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/humanism-is-not-wrong-in-its-cry-for-sociological-healing-but/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [The fact that a theory so vague, so insufficiently verifiable, and so far from the criteria otherwise applied in 'hard' science has become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-bertalanffy/the-fact-that-a-theory-so-vague-so-insufficiently-verifiable-and-so/) [Ludwig von Bertalanffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-bertalanffy/) > [The things that inform student culture are created and controlled by the unseen culture, the sociological aspects of our climbing culture, our 'me' generation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/the-things-that-inform-student-culture-are-created-and-controlled-by/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [My rap comes from a sociological standpoint rather than picking a particular side or dogma or ideology. I just want people to be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/my-rap-comes-from-a-sociological-standpoint-rather-than-picking-a/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) ## More by Lorna Simpson > [Reading about feminism when I was a teenager and seeing it as a young woman, I realized that feminism really hadn't dealt with sexuality;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/reading-about-feminism-when-i-was-a-teenager-and-seeing-it-as-a-young/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [Generally, the imagery and the text go hand in hand. It's much easier when the text comes first, but sometimes I need visual stimulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/generally-the-imagery-and-the-text-go-hand-in-hand-it-s-much-easier/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [The construction of femininity is a construction, yes, but also it can be twisted and turned around in such a way that doesn't necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/the-construction-of-femininity-is-a-construction-yes-but-also-it-can/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [My artistic practice always involved diversity to the groups of people in which I would find camaraderie, friendship, colleagues, whereas I feel, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/my-artistic-practice-always-involved-diversity-to-the-groups-of/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [Real is a contentious word. What can be considered real and or verified does not necessarily mean that it is recognized or acknowledged on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/real-is-a-contentious-word-what-can-be-considered-real-and-or/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [In my work, there's mechanism that is "real," which is formed from the historical concepts of the images that I'm working with. That doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/in-my-work-there-s-mechanism-that-is-real-which-is-formed-from-the/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [I focus on details, either of the body, or of objects that represent gender, sexuality, and other themes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/i-focus-on-details-either-of-the-body-or-of-objects-that-represent/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) > [The only thing I can hope the viewer will get from the work is something about the structure of the work. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-simpson/the-only-thing-i-can-hope-the-viewer-will-get-from-the-work-is/) [Lorna Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) [Explore all 9 Lorna Simpson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-simpson/) ## More Dues quotes > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Used with due abstinence, hope acts as a healthful tonic; intemperately indulged, as an enervating opiate. The visions of future triumph, which at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/used-with-due-abstinence-hope-acts-as-a-healthful-tonic-intemperately/) [James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) [Yeasin Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeasin-khan/) > [Paying your dues isn't always fun but it pays you back 100 times if you do it with a happy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/paying-your-dues-isn-t-always-fun-but-it-pays-you-back-100-times-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/according-to-jains-the-soul-in-pure-form-has-infiniteness-in-terms-of/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [I very often used to get backaches due to the fact that I was wrong. Whenever you are wrong you have to fight or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/i-very-often-used-to-get-backaches-due-to-the-fact-that-i-was-wrong/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Certainly none of the advances made in civilization has been due to counterrevolutionaries and advocates of the status quo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mauldin/certainly-none-of-the-advances-made-in-civilization-has-been-due-to/) [Bill Mauldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mauldin/) [Browse all 1,408 Dues quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started to concentrate more upon how the viewer looks at photographs... 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