--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the moment my art is situated between…" description: "\"At the moment my art is situated between the pornographic tendency to reveal everything and the erotic inclination to hide what it's all about.\" — Marl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/marlene-dumas-28297_art_at-the-moment-my-art-is-situated-between_581798.png" --- # At the moment my art is situated between the pornographic… ![“At the moment my art is situated between the pornographic tendency to reveal everything and the erotic inclination to hide what it's all about.” quote by Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/marlene-dumas-28297_art_at-the-moment-my-art-is-situated-between_581798.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/marlene-dumas-28297_art_at-the-moment-my-art-is-situated-between_581798.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/marlene-dumas-28297_art_at-the-moment-my-art-is-situated-between_581798.png) > “At the moment my art is situated between the pornographic tendency to reveal everything and the erotic inclination to hide what it's all about.” [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Her work balances explicit exposure with subtle suggestion, exploring tension between revelation and concealment. **In simple terms:** Balancing openness and mystery in art. Key Takeaway Embrace both reveal and conceal. Themes art exposure eroticism privacy duality Mood provocative introspective Type statement conceptual When to use this quote - gallery exhibition - private collection - art education - public debate Key Concepts visual narrative cultural critique psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does the viewer decide what to see? - What does hidden meaning add to impact? A Different Perspective Risk of misinterpretation or censorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Erotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erotic/) [Erotic Inclination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erotic-inclination-4780307/) [Inclination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inclination/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Pornographic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornographic/) [Pornographic Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornographic-tendency-4780310/) [Reveal Erotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reveal-erotic-4780309/) [Situated Pornographic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situated-pornographic-4780308/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Levi's eyebrows were pornographic. If Cath were making this decision just on eyebrows, she would have been "up to his room" a long time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/levi-s-eyebrows-were-pornographic-if-cath-were-making-this-decision/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [Real orgies are never so exciting as pornographic books. In a volume by Pierre Louys all the girls are young and their figures perfect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/real-orgies-are-never-so-exciting-as-pornographic-books-in-a-volume/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I am, and have always been, a pornographic angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-rodrigues/i-am-and-have-always-been-a-pornographic-angel/) [Nelson Rodrigues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-rodrigues/) > [What pornographic literature does is precisely to drive a wedge between one's existence as a sexual being - while in ordinary life a healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/what-pornographic-literature-does-is-precisely-to-drive-a-wedge/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/pornographic-or-erotic-stories-and-pictures-are-worse-than-filthy-or/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [The liberal paradigm of regulation and license has led to a society where an 18-year-old girl has the right to public fornication in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kristol/the-liberal-paradigm-of-regulation-and-license-has-led-to-a-society/) [Irving Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kristol/) > [“Where is the line between art and pornography? But there’s always been a huge overlap between the two; you can see scenes of copulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-macaulay/where-is-the-line-between-art-and-pornography-but-there-s-always-been/) [Alastair Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-macaulay/) > [Intelligence always had a pornographic influence on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-always-had-a-pornographic-influence-on-me/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“In real man, the “god-given” genital embrace has turned into the pornographic 4-lettering male-female intercourse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/in-real-man-the-god-given-genital-embrace-has-turned-into-the/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [I keep the pornographic stuff in a bus station locker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rockwell/i-keep-the-pornographic-stuff-in-a-bus-station-locker/) [Norman Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rockwell/) > [“Sex may be completely out in the open now, but it's still defined and controlled by a powerful subset of elite men. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carina-chocano/sex-may-be-completely-out-in-the-open-now-but-it-s-still-defined-and/) [Carina Chocano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carina-chocano/) > [What turns me on is erotica; what turns you on is pornographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/what-turns-me-on-is-erotica-what-turns-you-on-is-pornographic/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [“One second, he was in my mouth, my tongue flicking over the broad head of him; the next, his hands were on my waist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/one-second-he-was-in-my-mouth-my-tongue-flicking-over-the-broad-head/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [As we applaud the hard-edged realism of the opening battle scene of Saving Private Ryan, we cringe at the thought of seeing the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/as-we-applaud-the-hard-edged-realism-of-the-opening-battle-scene-of/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [No matter how many red Xs we write on our hands to end slavery, as long as these same hands are clicking on pornographic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/no-matter-how-many-red-xs-we-write-on-our-hands-to-end-slavery-as/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) ## More by Marlene Dumas > [I do think that I'm not good at making pretty things. It doesn't come so naturally for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-do-think-that-i-m-not-good-at-making-pretty-things-it-doesn-t-come/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [Drawings are only a few lines on paper. Therefore it's easy to carry around in plastic bags. Drawings are cheaper than paintings. They don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/drawings-are-only-a-few-lines-on-paper-therefore-it-s-easy-to-carry/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [My best works are erotic displays of mental confusions.. with intrusions of irrelevant information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/my-best-works-are-erotic-displays-of-mental-confusions-with/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [I'm always so sick of myself after a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-m-always-so-sick-of-myself-after-a-show/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [I have always been interested in how you can depict suffering without being heavy-handed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-have-always-been-interested-in-how-you-can-depict-suffering-without/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [What a funny thing painting is. The abstract painters always insist on their connection with the visible reality, while the so called figurative artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/what-a-funny-thing-painting-is-the-abstract-painters-always-insist-on/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [The best works do not necessarily get to auction. I like to draw, so maybe I give you a little drawing. And then eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/the-best-works-do-not-necessarily-get-to-auction-i-like-to-draw-so/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [When Black and White are colors and not races, people will still fall in love and discriminate between partners and feel sad and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/when-black-and-white-are-colors-and-not-races-people-will-still-fall/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [Painting doesn't freeze time. It circulates and recycles time like a wheel that turns. Those who were first might well be last. Painting is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/painting-doesn-t-freeze-time-it-circulates-and-recycles-time-like-a/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [There are these painterly things that happen while I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/there-are-these-painterly-things-that-happen-while-i-m-working/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [No painting can exist without the tension of what it figures and what it concretely consists of. The pleasure of what it could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/no-painting-can-exist-without-the-tension-of-what-it-figures-and-what/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [There is no beauty, if it doesn't show some of the terribleness of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/there-is-no-beauty-if-it-doesn-t-show-some-of-the-terribleness-of-life/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [I am against: general ideas / the nude / the appropriation of images / the mystification of the untitled / the glorification of artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-am-against-general-ideas-the-nude-the-appropriation-of-images-the/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [I think I am probably a lot like my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-think-i-am-probably-a-lot-like-my-father/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) > [I don't go to a psychiatrist. I don't go to a gym. I run away from my accountant, I run away from my dentist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dumas/i-don-t-go-to-a-psychiatrist-i-don-t-go-to-a-gym-i-run-away-from-my/) [Marlene Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) [Explore all 19 Marlene Dumas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dumas/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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