--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I embrace the abstract in photography and…" description: "\"I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.\" — Ralph Gibson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png" --- # I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few… ![“I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.” quote by Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png) > “I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.” [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photography extracts order from chaos, revealing abstract beauty through selective focus. **In simple terms:** Find order in chaos via photography. Key Takeaway Use abstraction to convey meaning. Themes art photography abstraction Mood reflective curious Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - creative workshops - personal projects - visual storytelling Key Concepts Aesthetic theory visual perception Questions to Reflect On - How does abstraction change your view of reality? - What elements do you isolate to create order? A Different Perspective Risk of over‑editing, losing authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [If I didn't have a conviction that a serious painter can portray Nature more profoundly than the best colour photography, I'd probably give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/if-i-didn-t-have-a-conviction-that-a-serious-painter-can-portray/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [“Control is merely an illusion we construct to cope with the chaos that is reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bubbers/control-is-merely-an-illusion-we-construct-to-cope-with-the-chaos/) Fred Bubbers > [Both individuals and societies tell themselves stories to simplify and make sense of the messy chaos of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/both-individuals-and-societies-tell-themselves-stories-to-simplify/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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 > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Ralph Gibson > [Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/even-though-fixed-in-time-a-photograph-evokes-as-much-feeling-as-that/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I have been a photographer all my life…and have made photographs of many things and for many reasons. But one thing that becomes more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-have-been-a-photographer-all-my-life-and-have-made-photographs-of/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [Traditionally, photography has dealt with recording the world as it is found. Before photography appeared the fine artists of the time, the painters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/traditionally-photography-has-dealt-with-recording-the-world-as-it-is/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I'm too impatient to use a tripod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-m-too-impatient-to-use-a-tripod/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [It occurs to me that at the beginning one works passionately to learn photography. This takes years, and the craft is usually formed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/it-occurs-to-me-that-at-the-beginning-one-works-passionately-to-learn/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [The French have a different take on photography than Americans do. They consider photography to be absolutely parallel to literature. That often makes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/the-french-have-a-different-take-on-photography-than-americans-do/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [“Passing from one dimension to another, he feels that nothing is left behind, but rather is always with him in the moment. His life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/passing-from-one-dimension-to-another-he-feels-that-nothing-is-left/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [My enthusiasm for joining the New York Film Academy is predicated on my personal explorations into video as well as a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/my-enthusiasm-for-joining-the-new-york-film-academy-is-predicated-on/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I believe that the medium of photography prevails entirely as an act of faith in the souls of those who love and practice it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-believe-that-the-medium-of-photography-prevails-entirely-as-an-act/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [When I was working with Robert Frank, he told me that there was absolutely no relationship between cinema and photography. I challenge that. Surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/when-i-was-working-with-robert-frank-he-told-me-that-there-was/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [ One night I was on my \[Navy\] ship... on my first cruise crossing the North Atlantic in a horrible storm, chained to the rails… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/one-night-i-was-on-my-navy-ship-on-my-first-cruise-crossing-the-north/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I'm interested in producing truncated shapes in proportion to the frame and composition, shapes that are preferably luminous. I'm not interested in the full-figure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-m-interested-in-producing-truncated-shapes-in-proportion-to-the/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) [Explore all 13 Ralph Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) ## 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": "I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Gibson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-and-exist-on-a-few-bits-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-and-exist-on-a-few-bits-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/ralph-gibson-36227_abstract_i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-an_288940.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.” — Ralph Gibson", "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": "Ralph Gibson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I embrace the abstract in photography...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-and-exist-on-a-few-bits-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-and-exist-on-a-few-bits-of/#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 } } ] } ```