--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Put a symbol, or language of some sort…" description: "\"Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.\" — Mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg" --- # Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and… ![“Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.” quote by Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg) > “Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.” [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embedding recognizable symbols or language in a painting ensures viewers notice them, even if they cannot read the script. **In simple terms:** Symbols make art noticeable. Key Takeaway Use clear symbols. Themes communication visual art symbolism Mood creative thoughtful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - public murals - educational posters Key Concepts semiotics perception Questions to Reflect On - What symbols best convey your message? - How do viewers react to unfamiliar scripts? A Different Perspective Overreliance on symbols may limit deeper interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) ## Related quotes > [While painting I noticed a piece of madras cloth on the floor. As usual, my mind started working overtime and a pair of scissors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/while-painting-i-noticed-a-piece-of-madras-cloth-on-the-floor-as/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Everything I do is a symbol. Everything, has a meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-starck/everything-i-do-is-a-symbol-everything-has-a-meaning/) [Philippe Starck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-starck/) > [Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/well-if-it-s-a-symbol-to-hell-with-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [By a symbol I do not mean an allegory or a sign, but an image that describes in the best possible way the dimly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/by-a-symbol-i-do-not-mean-an-allegory-or-a-sign-but-an-image-that/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I know I have sex appeal, but I've never felt like an actual sex symbol. Fans sometimes think I am. The majority of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teena-marie/i-know-i-have-sex-appeal-but-i-ve-never-felt-like-an-actual-sex/) [Teena Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teena-marie/) > [Loyalty to the true, core values and roots of democracy is what makes a true patriot, not loyalty to a symbol of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/loyalty-to-the-true-core-values-and-roots-of-democracy-is-what-makes/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/after-the-french-revolution-it-was-not-the-treason-of-the-king-that/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) > [He was our symbol of baseball at a time when the game meant something to us that perhaps it no longer does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/he-was-our-symbol-of-baseball-at-a-time-when-the-game-meant-something/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [The symbol of all art is the Prism. The goal is unrealism. The method is destructive. To break up the white light of objective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/the-symbol-of-all-art-is-the-prism-the-goal-is-unrealism-the-method/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [An idea, in the highest sense of that word, cannot be conveyed but by a symbol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/an-idea-in-the-highest-sense-of-that-word-cannot-be-conveyed-but-by-a/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I wasn't a sex symbol, I was a sex zombie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-lake/i-wasn-t-a-sex-symbol-i-was-a-sex-zombie/) [Veronica Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-lake/) > [As far as I'm concerned, the sexiness, the sex symbol, it's not a consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-sexiness-the-sex-symbol-it-s-not-a/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [“Symbols are miracles we have recorded into language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/symbols-are-miracles-we-have-recorded-into-language/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) > [Im a hard worker, and everything with me is, if I work hard, I should get paid for it. Everything with me, I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birdman/im-a-hard-worker-and-everything-with-me-is-if-i-work-hard-i-should/) Birdman ## More by Mike Svob > [The person viewing your work has no idea what the scene really looked like, nor do they care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-person-viewing-your-work-has-no-idea-what-the-scene-really-looked/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [The theme, or harmony, of a painting can be created by any one of its visual elements. A single colour... repetition of shapes... Light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-theme-or-harmony-of-a-painting-can-be-created-by-any-one-of-its/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [Think of the centre of interest in a painting as you would read it in a novel or see it in a movie. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/think-of-the-centre-of-interest-in-a-painting-as-you-would-read-it-in/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [The wide open nature of any truly creative artistic endeavor is one of its most important virtues, and one of its harshest realities. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-wide-open-nature-of-any-truly-creative-artistic-endeavor-is-one/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [You have to understand how the human eye behaves when it views a scene for the first time. Work with that knowledge, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/you-have-to-understand-how-the-human-eye-behaves-when-it-views-a/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [When we look at a painting, listen to a piece of music, read a novel, or watch a movie we are taking in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/when-we-look-at-a-painting-listen-to-a-piece-of-music-read-a-novel-or/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [A painting with a message does not happen by accident. It happens when you place elements in their order of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/a-painting-with-a-message-does-not-happen-by-accident-it-happens-when/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [All artists are illusionists of one kind or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/all-artists-are-illusionists-of-one-kind-or-another/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [By merely increasing or decreasing the amount of contrast in any area we can move the observer through the painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/by-merely-increasing-or-decreasing-the-amount-of-contrast-in-any-area/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [All paintings are abstract ideas, not representations of a true reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/all-paintings-are-abstract-ideas-not-representations-of-a-true-reality/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [Being true to oneself more often leads one toward success rather than away from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/being-true-to-oneself-more-often-leads-one-toward-success-rather-than/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [Realistically there is no limit to the possibilities. How does an artist make decisions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/realistically-there-is-no-limit-to-the-possibilities-how-does-an/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [The way we see is critical to understanding how others will read our compositions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-way-we-see-is-critical-to-understanding-how-others-will-read-our/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [That a viewer does not see what the artist intended does not make the composition a failure... In reality all artists speak first to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/that-a-viewer-does-not-see-what-the-artist-intended-does-not-make-the/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) > [The difficult part of the process is the long exploration and discovery of your own soul and living with the results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/the-difficult-part-of-the-process-is-the-long-exploration-and/) [Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) [Explore all 18 Mike Svob quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/) ## 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 > [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. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. 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": "Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not they can read that particular language.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Svob" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in-a-painting-and-it-will-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in-a-painting-and-it-will-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/mike-svob-29261_artist_put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in_483777.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Put a symbol, or language of some sort, in a painting and it will be noticed by the viewer whether or not…” — Mike Svob", "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": "Mike Svob", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Put a symbol, or language of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in-a-painting-and-it-will-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/put-a-symbol-or-language-of-some-sort-in-a-painting-and-it-will-be/#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 } } ] } ```