--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is clear now. Something must be…" description: "\"“Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my way of viewing things. I have no middle view. Either I fix on a detail and see it as though..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/margaret-laurence-15867_abstract-painting_nothing-is-clear-now-something-must-be-t_923089.jpg" --- # Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my… ![“Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my way of viewing things. I have no middle view. Either I fix on a detail and see it as thought it were magnified -- a leaf with all its veins perceived, the fine hairs on a man's hands -- or else the world recedes and becomes blurred…” quote by Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/margaret-laurence-15867_abstract-painting_nothing-is-clear-now-something-must-be-t_923089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/margaret-laurence-15867_abstract-painting_nothing-is-clear-now-something-must-be-t_923089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/margaret-laurence-15867_abstract-painting_nothing-is-clear-now-something-must-be-t_923089.jpg) > ““Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my way of viewing things. I have no middle view. Either I fix on a detail and see it as thought it were magnified -- a leaf with all its veins perceived, the fine hairs on a man's hands -- or else the world recedes and becomes blurred, artificial, indefinite, an abstract painting of a world. The darkening sky is hugely blue, gashed with rose, blood, flame from the volcano or wound or flower of the lowering sun. The wavering green, the sea of grass, piercingly bright. Black tree trunks, contorted, arching over the river.”” [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator struggles with extreme perception, seeing details either hyper‑focused or overly vague, reflecting an inner conflict about clarity and meaning. **In simple terms:** Seeing too much or too little creates confusion. Key Takeaway Seek balance in perception. Themes perception clarity conflict artistry nature Mood introspective poetic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - creative writing - visual arts - personal reflection - mindfulness practice Key Concepts subjectivity visual metaphor psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you find a middle ground in observation? - What helps you shift from detail to whole? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can paralyze insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-painting/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) ## Related quotes > [“Now comes the darkening sky and a cold wind that passes right through you, as though you are not there, it passes through you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/now-comes-the-darkening-sky-and-a-cold-wind-that-passes-right-through/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [“It is eerie and uncanny how Luca has the ability to read my mind. “Will you go back now to London, Violetta?” he asks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-henderson/it-is-eerie-and-uncanny-how-luca-has-the-ability-to-read-my-mind-will/) [Lauren Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-henderson/) > [“It was almost twilight, long shadows of oaks and chestnuts crossing the unpaved road leading away from the village. This part of England had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-was-almost-twilight-long-shadows-of-oaks-and-chestnuts-crossing/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/of-all-the-arts-abstract-painting-is-the-most-difficult-it-demands/) [Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/) > [Painting is a duality and abstract painting is an entirely aesthetic thing. It always remains on one level. It is only really interesting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-is-a-duality-and-abstract-painting-is-an-entirely-aesthetic/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [That’s the huge problem with an abstract painting. When are you done? You’re done when you don’t want to do it anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sillman/that-s-the-huge-problem-with-an-abstract-painting-when-are-you-done/) [Amy Sillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sillman/) > [A lot of my work is about what's abstract and what's pictorial. Is it bubblegum, or is it an abstract painting using bubblegum? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-colen/a-lot-of-my-work-is-about-what-s-abstract-and-what-s-pictorial-is-it/) [Dan Colen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-colen/) > [I guess I have no motivation to make an abstract painting, even if they sometimes read as abstract. I think, with abstraction, it's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bradley/i-guess-i-have-no-motivation-to-make-an-abstract-painting-even-if/) [Joe Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bradley/) > [I began in 1976, with small abstract paintings that allowed me to do what I had never let myself do: put something down at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-began-in-1976-with-small-abstract-paintings-that-allowed-me-to-do/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [When I'm not working on a children's book, I'm painting abstract paintings. That's probably the most joyous thing for me as an artist. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-grandpre/when-i-m-not-working-on-a-children-s-book-i-m-painting-abstract/) [Mary GrandPre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-grandpre/) > [“As I’m debating running for the exit, Nash leans down to whisper at my ear. “Is something wrong?” “I feel like the only splash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/as-i-m-debating-running-for-the-exit-nash-leans-down-to-whisper-at-my/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a color, a surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-van-doesburg/we-speak-of-concrete-and-not-abstract-painting-because-nothing-is/) [Theo van Doesburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-van-doesburg/) > [Abstract paintings must be as real as those created by the 16th century Italians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/abstract-paintings-must-be-as-real-as-those-created-by-the-16th/) [Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/) > [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/) > [I remember being handed a score composed by Mozart at the age of eleven. What could I say? I felt like de Kooning, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/i-remember-being-handed-a-score-composed-by-mozart-at-the-age-of/) [Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/) ## More by Margaret Laurence > [“So, if this were indeed my Final Hour, these would be my words to you. I would not claim to pass on any secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/so-if-this-were-indeed-my-final-hour-these-would-be-my-words-to-you-i/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“Who wants tea and sympathy? Let's have coffee and sex, Stacey, eh?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/who-wants-tea-and-sympathy-let-s-have-coffee-and-sex-stacey-eh/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“To move to a new place -- that's the greatest excitement. For a while you believe you carry nothing with you -- all is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/to-move-to-a-new-place-that-s-the-greatest-excitement-for-a-while-you/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [When I say work I only mean writing. Everything else is just odd jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/when-i-say-work-i-only-mean-writing-everything-else-is-just-odd-jobs/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/in-some-families-please-is-described-as-the-magic-word-in-our-house/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [Follow your heart, and you perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/follow-your-heart-and-you-perish/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“Too bad to deprive them, but if a person doesn't look after herself in this world, no one else is likely to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/too-bad-to-deprive-them-but-if-a-person-doesn-t-look-after-herself-in/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [Women, as well as men, in all ages and in all places, have danced on the earth, danced the life dance, danced joy, danced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/women-as-well-as-men-in-all-ages-and-in-all-places-have-danced-on-the/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [Will we ever reach a point when it is no longer necessary to say Them and Us? I believe we must reach that point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/will-we-ever-reach-a-point-when-it-is-no-longer-necessary-to-say-them/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [I can't change what's happened to me in my life, or make what's not occurred take place. But I can't say I like it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/i-can-t-change-what-s-happened-to-me-in-my-life-or-make-what-s-not/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that led me there was fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/pride-was-my-wilderness-and-the-demon-that-led-me-there-was-fear/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“Must've been off my head, wandering around the harbour so long. Didn't even get the nightgowns. Are the kids okay? Damn, I wish I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/must-ve-been-off-my-head-wandering-around-the-harbour-so-long-didn-t/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [Holidays are enticing only for the first week or so. After that, it is no longer such a novelty to rise late and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/holidays-are-enticing-only-for-the-first-week-or-so-after-that-it-is/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“And yet, for a writer of fiction, part of the heart remains that of a stranger, for what we are trying to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/and-yet-for-a-writer-of-fiction-part-of-the-heart-remains-that-of-a/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course, mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) [Explore all 41 Margaret Laurence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) ## More Abstract painting quotes > [I remember being handed a score composed by Mozart at the age of eleven. What could I say? I felt like de Kooning, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/i-remember-being-handed-a-score-composed-by-mozart-at-the-age-of/) [Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/) > [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/) > [Abstract paintings must be as real as those created by the 16th century Italians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/abstract-paintings-must-be-as-real-as-those-created-by-the-16th/) [Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/) > [We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a color, a surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-van-doesburg/we-speak-of-concrete-and-not-abstract-painting-because-nothing-is/) [Theo van Doesburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-van-doesburg/) > [“As I’m debating running for the exit, Nash leans down to whisper at my ear. “Is something wrong?” “I feel like the only splash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/as-i-m-debating-running-for-the-exit-nash-leans-down-to-whisper-at-my/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [When I'm not working on a children's book, I'm painting abstract paintings. That's probably the most joyous thing for me as an artist. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-grandpre/when-i-m-not-working-on-a-children-s-book-i-m-painting-abstract/) [Mary GrandPre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-grandpre/) > [I began in 1976, with small abstract paintings that allowed me to do what I had never let myself do: put something down at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-began-in-1976-with-small-abstract-paintings-that-allowed-me-to-do/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I guess I have no motivation to make an abstract painting, even if they sometimes read as abstract. I think, with abstraction, it's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bradley/i-guess-i-have-no-motivation-to-make-an-abstract-painting-even-if/) [Joe Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bradley/) > [A lot of my work is about what's abstract and what's pictorial. Is it bubblegum, or is it an abstract painting using bubblegum? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-colen/a-lot-of-my-work-is-about-what-s-abstract-and-what-s-pictorial-is-it/) [Dan Colen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-colen/) > [That’s the huge problem with an abstract painting. When are you done? You’re done when you don’t want to do it anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sillman/that-s-the-huge-problem-with-an-abstract-painting-when-are-you-done/) [Amy Sillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sillman/) > [Painting is a duality and abstract painting is an entirely aesthetic thing. It always remains on one level. It is only really interesting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-is-a-duality-and-abstract-painting-is-an-entirely-aesthetic/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/of-all-the-arts-abstract-painting-is-the-most-difficult-it-demands/) [Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/) > [Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/abstract-painting-is-abstract-it-confronts-you-there-was-a-reviewer-a/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I've been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas, I just think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-wright/i-ve-been-doing-a-lot-of-abstract-painting-lately-extremely-abstract/) [Stephen Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-wright/) > [Certainly one of the surprising truths of having a book published is realizing that your book is as open to interpretation as an abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/certainly-one-of-the-surprising-truths-of-having-a-book-published-is/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) [Browse all 47 Abstract painting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-painting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my way of viewing things. I have no middle view. 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