--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would have been the equivalent of…" description: "\"It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.\" — Malcolm Cowley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png" --- # It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's… ![“It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.” quote by Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png) > “It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.” [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing Pollock's chaotic style to copying the Sistine Chapel highlights the absurdity of mimicking mastery without originality. **In simple terms:** Copying greatness without innovation is futile. Key Takeaway Seek originality, not imitation. Themes art originality critique creativity Mood analytical critical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - writing - design - music composition Key Concepts modernism authenticity artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - What defines true originality in art? - How do we balance influence with innovation? A Different Perspective Original work can still be derivative; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Chapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapel/) [Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy/) [Copy Sistine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy-sistine-5174470/) [Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson-pollock/) [Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollock/) [Pollock Attempts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollock-attempts-5174469/) [Sistine chapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sistine-chapel/) ## Related quotes > [“I can't help thinking of Jackson Pollock, who poured, splattered and lashed the canvass with strings of paint. His process was about snaring not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-lieu/i-can-t-help-thinking-of-jackson-pollock-who-poured-splattered-and/) [Jocelyn Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-lieu/) > [Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought "What a piece of crap?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully-and-patiently-at-a-painting/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) > [I'm interested in Jackson Pollock's kind of art, where art is beautiful, but it's nothing, and yet it's incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-m-interested-in-jackson-pollock-s-kind-of-art-where-art-is/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Chaos can be structured as non-chaos. That we know from Jackson Pollock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-hesse/chaos-can-be-structured-as-non-chaos-that-we-know-from-jackson-pollock/) [Eva Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-hesse/) > [I think we're in an age where artists really have an incredible range of materials at their command now. They can use almost anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-viola/i-think-we-re-in-an-age-where-artists-really-have-an-incredible-range/) [Bill Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-viola/) > [I don't need to own one but I like to look at Diane Arbus's pictures and anything by Jackson Pollock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/i-don-t-need-to-own-one-but-i-like-to-look-at-diane-arbus-s-pictures/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [Unfortunately, there was no Jackson Pollock of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/unfortunately-there-was-no-jackson-pollock-of-the-camera/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Decades ago, Gerhard Richter found a painterly philosopher's stone. Like Jackson Pollock before him, he discovered something that had been in painting all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/decades-ago-gerhard-richter-found-a-painterly-philosopher-s-stone/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [It's impossible in our postmodern era for anyone to be original - for anybody to do what Jackson Pollock did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-sandler/it-s-impossible-in-our-postmodern-era-for-anyone-to-be-original-for/) [Irving Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-sandler/) > [I love Francis Bacon. I just saw a great Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Dallas Museum when I was home for Thanksgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/i-love-francis-bacon-i-just-saw-a-great-jackson-pollock-exhibit-at/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [It can be a work by Mondrian, a piece of music by Schönberg or Mozart, a painting by Leonardo, Barnett Newman or also Jackson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/it-can-be-a-work-by-mondrian-a-piece-of-music-by-sch-nberg-or-mozart/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I think there's a real problem if you're making a film - some people have done whether it be about Jackson Pollock or about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-think-there-s-a-real-problem-if-you-re-making-a-film-some-people/) [Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/) > [The 10 or 12 artists I have known really well all my life are at least as competitive as professional athletes. They may express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-10-or-12-artists-i-have-known-really-well-all-my-life-are-at/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Somebody can paint with a fine brush like Monet and do millions of little dots or somebody can splatter it up there like Kandinsky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/somebody-can-paint-with-a-fine-brush-like-monet-and-do-millions-of/) [Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/) > [I quite like Jackson Pollock, and have a real gut reaction to it, so it does whatever it does to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/i-quite-like-jackson-pollock-and-have-a-real-gut-reaction-to-it-so-it/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) ## More by Malcolm Cowley > [“There would seem to be four stages in the composition of a story. First comes the germ of the story, then a period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/there-would-seem-to-be-four-stages-in-the-composition-of-a-story/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [First New York was a sort of provincial capital, bigger and richer than Manchester or Marseilles, but not much different in its essential spirit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/first-new-york-was-a-sort-of-provincial-capital-bigger-and-richer/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [“Everywhere was the atmosphere of a long debauch that had to end; the orchestras played too fast, the stakes were too high at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/everywhere-was-the-atmosphere-of-a-long-debauch-that-had-to-end-the/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Writing offers fairly large rewards to a few successful people, but the rewards come late, and most writers are failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/writing-offers-fairly-large-rewards-to-a-few-successful-people-but/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [“They were learning that New York had another life, too — subterranean, like almost everything that was human in the city — a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-were-learning-that-new-york-had-another-life-too-subterranean/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Age is not different from earlier life as long as youre sitting down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/age-is-not-different-from-earlier-life-as-long-as-youre-sitting-down/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-tell-you-that-you-ll-lose-your-mind-when-you-grow-older-what/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [In matters like writing and painting, a man does what he has to do - if he has to write, why then, he writes;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/in-matters-like-writing-and-painting-a-man-does-what-he-has-to-do-if/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [It is the fear of being as dependent as a young child, while not being loved as a child is loved, but merely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-is-the-fear-of-being-as-dependent-as-a-young-child-while-not-being/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [I never cease to be amazed why some of my friends became famous and others, just as talented, didn't. I've come to suspect it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/i-never-cease-to-be-amazed-why-some-of-my-friends-became-famous-and/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Going back to Hemingway's work after several years is like going back to a brook where you had often fished and finding the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/going-back-to-hemingway-s-work-after-several-years-is-like-going-back/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/be-kind-and-considerate-with-your-criticism-it-s-just-as-hard-to/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/talent-is-what-you-possess-genius-is-what-possesses-you/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) [Explore all 23 Malcolm Cowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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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": "It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Cowley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jackson-pollock-s-attempts-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jackson-pollock-s-attempts-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/malcolm-cowley-25549_artist_it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jac_2256335.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.” — Malcolm Cowley", "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": "Malcolm Cowley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It would have been the equivalent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jackson-pollock-s-attempts-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jackson-pollock-s-attempts-to/#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 } } ] } ```