--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully…" description: "\"Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought \"What a piece of crap?\"\" — Rob Long" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png" --- # Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a… ![“Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought "What a piece of crap?"” quote by Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png) > “Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought "What a piece of crap?"” [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the tendency to dismiss abstract art as meaningless, highlighting a common skeptical reaction. **In simple terms:** People often call modern art "crap" without understanding it. Key Takeaway Consider looking deeper before judging art. Themes art criticism perception subjectivity Mood skeptical contemplative Type critical observational When to use this quote - gallery visits - art education - personal reflection Key Concepts aesthetic judgment modernism Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you bring to unfamiliar art? - How might you explore meaning beyond first impressions? A Different Perspective Some may find value in abstract expression despite initial dislike. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [“I can't help thinking of Jackson Pollock, who poured, splattered and lashed the canvass with strings of paint. His process was about snaring not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-lieu/i-can-t-help-thinking-of-jackson-pollock-who-poured-splattered-and/) Jocelyn Lieu > [I quite like Jackson Pollock, and have a real gut reaction to it, so it does whatever it does to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/i-quite-like-jackson-pollock-and-have-a-real-gut-reaction-to-it-so-it/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [I'm interested in Jackson Pollock's kind of art, where art is beautiful, but it's nothing, and yet it's incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-m-interested-in-jackson-pollock-s-kind-of-art-where-art-is/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Chaos can be structured as non-chaos. That we know from Jackson Pollock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-hesse/chaos-can-be-structured-as-non-chaos-that-we-know-from-jackson-pollock/) [Eva Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-hesse/) > [I think we're in an age where artists really have an incredible range of materials at their command now. They can use almost anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-viola/i-think-we-re-in-an-age-where-artists-really-have-an-incredible-range/) [Bill Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-viola/) > [I don't need to own one but I like to look at Diane Arbus's pictures and anything by Jackson Pollock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/i-don-t-need-to-own-one-but-i-like-to-look-at-diane-arbus-s-pictures/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [Unfortunately, there was no Jackson Pollock of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/unfortunately-there-was-no-jackson-pollock-of-the-camera/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Decades ago, Gerhard Richter found a painterly philosopher's stone. Like Jackson Pollock before him, he discovered something that had been in painting all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/decades-ago-gerhard-richter-found-a-painterly-philosopher-s-stone/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [It's impossible in our postmodern era for anyone to be original - for anybody to do what Jackson Pollock did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-sandler/it-s-impossible-in-our-postmodern-era-for-anyone-to-be-original-for/) Irving Sandler > [I love Francis Bacon. I just saw a great Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Dallas Museum when I was home for Thanksgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/i-love-francis-bacon-i-just-saw-a-great-jackson-pollock-exhibit-at/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [It can be a work by Mondrian, a piece of music by Schönberg or Mozart, a painting by Leonardo, Barnett Newman or also Jackson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/it-can-be-a-work-by-mondrian-a-piece-of-music-by-sch-nberg-or-mozart/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I think there's a real problem if you're making a film - some people have done whether it be about Jackson Pollock or about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-think-there-s-a-real-problem-if-you-re-making-a-film-some-people/) [Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/) > [The 10 or 12 artists I have known really well all my life are at least as competitive as professional athletes. They may express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-10-or-12-artists-i-have-known-really-well-all-my-life-are-at/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Somebody can paint with a fine brush like Monet and do millions of little dots or somebody can splatter it up there like Kandinsky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/somebody-can-paint-with-a-fine-brush-like-monet-and-do-millions-of/) [Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/) > [It would have been the equivalent of Jackson Pollock's attempts to copy the Sistine Chapel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-would-have-been-the-equivalent-of-jackson-pollock-s-attempts-to/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) ## More by Rob Long > [The real enemy of safety is not non-compliance but non-thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/the-real-enemy-of-safety-is-not-non-compliance-but-non-thinking/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) > [If we accept that there is no such thing as 'zero risk' then we should not spin the meaning of words with assertions such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/if-we-accept-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as-zero-risk-then-we-should/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) > [Stress is not bad but a necessary part of facing life's challenges. Whilst the dreamers maintain the delusion that 'all accidents are preventable' the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/stress-is-not-bad-but-a-necessary-part-of-facing-life-s-challenges/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) > [We make thousands of decisions everyday in automatic mode without a mistake. Yet we don't reflect and celebrate this wonderful mode of human decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/we-make-thousands-of-decisions-everyday-in-automatic-mode-without-a/) [Rob Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) [Explore all 5 Rob Long quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/) ## 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": "Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought \"What a piece of crap?\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rob Long" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully-and-patiently-at-a-painting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully-and-patiently-at-a-painting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/rob-long-59548_artist_who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully_1815817.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Who among us has not gazed thoughtfully and patiently at a painting of Jackson Pollock and thought \"What a…” — Rob Long", "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": "Rob Long", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-long/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Who among us has not gazed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully-and-patiently-at-a-painting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-long/who-among-us-has-not-gazed-thoughtfully-and-patiently-at-a-painting/#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 } } ] } ```