--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I mean by 'abstract' is something…" description: "\"What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts, plastic at the same time as psychic, and pervade..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg" --- # What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life… ![“What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts, plastic at the same time as psychic, and pervades both the picture and the eye of the spectator with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.” quote by Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg) > “What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts, plastic at the same time as psychic, and pervades both the picture and the eye of the spectator with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.” [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abstract art emerges spontaneously, blending contrasting visual and psychic elements to engage the viewer with novel, unfamiliar ideas. **In simple terms:** Abstract art mixes visual contrast and feeling to surprise viewers. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected contrasts in creative work. Themes creativity perception innovation Mood inspired curious Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - art education - creative brainstorming - visual design Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology of art Questions to Reflect On - How can you incorporate spontaneous contrast in your work? - What unfamiliar elements does abstract art reveal? A Different Perspective May be too vague for practical application without concrete examples. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Psychics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychics/) ## Related quotes > [ The word 'abstract' comes from the light tower of the philosophers. One of their spotlights that they have particularly focused on 'Art'. \[Abstraction was\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-word-abstract-comes-from-the-light-tower-of-the-philosophers-one/) [Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/) > [To like many people spontaneously and without effort is perhaps the greatest of all sources of personal happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/to-like-many-people-spontaneously-and-without-effort-is-perhaps-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [My father was an airline pilot, so we travelled more spontaneously than a lot of families. On a Thursday, we could decide to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/my-father-was-an-airline-pilot-so-we-travelled-more-spontaneously/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Coming up with ideas is really hard - they don't spontaneously pop into my head while I'm cutting vegetables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/coming-up-with-ideas-is-really-hard-they-don-t-spontaneously-pop-into/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [Inviting children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon builds on reading and talking about the Book of Mormon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/inviting-children-as-gospel-learners-to-act-and-not-merely-be-acted/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [Determination, energy, and courage appear spontaneously when we care deeply about something. We take risks that are unimaginable in any other context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/determination-energy-and-courage-appear-spontaneously-when-we-care/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [The best things in life sometimes happen spontaneously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-statham/the-best-things-in-life-sometimes-happen-spontaneously/) [Jason Statham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-statham/) > [One who loves God sees everything in relation to God. Therefore, their love flows spontaneously toward everyone, at all times, everywhere. They even love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/one-who-loves-god-sees-everything-in-relation-to-god-therefore-their/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [I don't like to do things for any other reason than it happens spontaneously or there's something that makes it happen naturally. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/i-don-t-like-to-do-things-for-any-other-reason-than-it-happens/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [You have to sit with your life and feel how you hold it, and be willing for the release to happen. It will happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/you-have-to-sit-with-your-life-and-feel-how-you-hold-it-and-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [“I love it when my brain just spontaneously takes over like that. It always surprises me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-love-it-when-my-brain-just-spontaneously-takes-over-like-that-it/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [Everything is happening spontaneously, and the witnessing of it is also happening spontaneously. Everything is already happening in natural balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/everything-is-happening-spontaneously-and-the-witnessing-of-it-is/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) > [I was formerly so stuck into plans. I can now live more spontaneously. This I want not yet to give away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriela-sabatini/i-was-formerly-so-stuck-into-plans-i-can-now-live-more-spontaneously/) [Gabriela Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriela-sabatini/) > [Whether Earth was deliberately terraformed, in other words, or whether it was seeded with the spores of life from crashed comets or whether, indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/whether-earth-was-deliberately-terraformed-in-other-words-or-whether/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [When you begin your work, nothing exists. When it is finished it looks as if it just happened, spontaneously, effortlessly, convincingly. It looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/when-you-begin-your-work-nothing-exists-when-it-is-finished-it-looks/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) ## More by Marc Chagall > [My works are dear to me, each in its own way, I shall have to answer for them on the Day off Judgement. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-works-are-dear-to-me-each-in-its-own-way-i-shall-have-to-answer/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [My hands were too soft.. I had to find some special occupation, some kind of work that would not force me to turn away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-hands-were-too-soft-i-had-to-find-some-special-occupation-some/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [What counts is art. painting, a kind of painting that is quite different from what everyone makes it out to be. But what kind?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/what-counts-is-art-painting-a-kind-of-painting-that-is-quite/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [Color is everything. When color is right, form is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/color-is-everything-when-color-is-right-form-is-right/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [For me Christ has always symbolized the true type of the Jewish martyr.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/for-me-christ-has-always-symbolized-the-true-type-of-the-jewish-martyr/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [The freer the soul, the more abstract painting becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/the-freer-the-soul-the-more-abstract-painting-becomes/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [Art must be an expression of love or it is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/art-must-be-an-expression-of-love-or-it-is-nothing/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [I am a child who is getting on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/i-am-a-child-who-is-getting-on/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [“Art seems to me to be a state of soul more than anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/art-seems-to-me-to-be-a-state-of-soul-more-than-anything-else/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [We all know that a good person can be a bad artist.But no one will ever be a genuine artist unless he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/we-all-know-that-a-good-person-can-be-a-bad-artist-but-no-one-will/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [Only love interests me, and I am only in contact with things that revolve around love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/only-love-interests-me-and-i-am-only-in-contact-with-things-that/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [In spite of everything, there is still no more wonderful vocation than to continue to tolerate events and to work on in the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/in-spite-of-everything-there-is-still-no-more-wonderful-vocation-than/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [“I had only to open my bedroom window, and blue air, love, and flowers entered with her”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/i-had-only-to-open-my-bedroom-window-and-blue-air-love-and-flowers/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [My name is Marc, my emotional life is sensitive and my purse is empty, but they say I have talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-name-is-marc-my-emotional-life-is-sensitive-and-my-purse-is-empty/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [Changes in societal structure and in art would possess more credibility if they had their origins in the soul and spirit. If people read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/changes-in-societal-structure-and-in-art-would-possess-more/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) [Explore all 69 Marc Chagall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts, plastic at the same time as psychic, and pervades both the picture and the eye of the spectator with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marc Chagall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-which-comes-to-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-which-comes-to-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/marc-chagall-9569_abstract_what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-whi_1820763.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I mean by 'abstract' is something which comes to life spontaneously through a gamut of contrasts…” — Marc Chagall", "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": "Marc Chagall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I mean by 'abstract' is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-which-comes-to-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/what-i-mean-by-abstract-is-something-which-comes-to-life/#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 } } ] } ```