--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be an artist is not a matter of making…" description: "\"To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is our state of consciousness and the shape of o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg" --- # To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or… ![“To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is our state of consciousness and the shape of our perceptions.” quote by Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg) > “To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is our state of consciousness and the shape of our perceptions.” [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art is fundamentally about consciousness and perception, not just creating objects. **In simple terms:** Art is a mindset. Key Takeaway Cultivate awareness in creative work. Themes creativity perception consciousness Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - design - education - therapy Key Concepts phenomenology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does perception shape artistic expression? - What role does consciousness play in creation? A Different Perspective Focus on inner experience may limit technical skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-matter-752292/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-shape-1914040/) [Dealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dealing/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Making Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-paintings-1534963/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Paintings Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-objects-986947/) [Perceptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceptions/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shape/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) ## Related quotes > [When we work from the Soul consciousness, we can shape our own destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-klemp/when-we-work-from-the-soul-consciousness-we-can-shape-our-own-destiny/) [Harold Klemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-klemp/) > [My paintings should become objects into which one could float, as in water, so that one's mind is hung... suspended, and the emanation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-portway/my-paintings-should-become-objects-into-which-one-could-float-as-in/) [Douglas Portway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-portway/) > [At the core, every artist, no matter what his subject matter happens to be, has to be someone doing the looking. I began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/at-the-core-every-artist-no-matter-what-his-subject-matter-happens-to/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Don't give up. It's really important to trust your impulses as an artist no matter what anybody else says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/don-t-give-up-it-s-really-important-to-trust-your-impulses-as-an/) [Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/) > [I think there has to be an interesting transformative process between your perception of reality and making the paintings. If you are just trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rothenberg/i-think-there-has-to-be-an-interesting-transformative-process-between/) [Susan Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rothenberg/) > [I have a completely romantic idea about making paintings, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-have-a-completely-romantic-idea-about-making-paintings-i-guess/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [I am very invested in the physical activity and the decision-making that is involved with making paintings - nothing else is quite like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/i-am-very-invested-in-the-physical-activity-and-the-decision-making/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I like the idea that paintings are not representations of an artist's psyche. Making the paintings is what gives the artist her psyche in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shea-hembrey/i-like-the-idea-that-paintings-are-not-representations-of-an-artist-s/) [Shea Hembrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shea-hembrey/) > [I have a fondness for making paintings that go beyond just having a conversation about art for art's sake or having a conversation about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-have-a-fondness-for-making-paintings-that-go-beyond-just-having-a/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I start out making my paintings for me. I don't see it as a form of communication. Until, of course, after they are done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lurie/i-start-out-making-my-paintings-for-me-i-don-t-see-it-as-a-form-of/) [John Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lurie/) > [Sometimes the things I learn making paintings or drawings - composition, colour, expressionism, texture - can directly influence the making of a film. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mckean/sometimes-the-things-i-learn-making-paintings-or-drawings-composition/) [Dave McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mckean/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) ## More by Robert Irwin > [Palms are like cockroaches. They were here long before us, and they'll be here long after us. They're the only things standing after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/palms-are-like-cockroaches-they-were-here-long-before-us-and-they-ll/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [“One day he became conscious that something was following him, a lazy white dog, a bitch with heavy dugs, padded behind him, whining continuously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/one-day-he-became-conscious-that-something-was-following-him-a-lazy/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [We actually form the world at every instant, although we're not cognitively aware of that but - and there are people would argue with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/we-actually-form-the-world-at-every-instant-although-we-re-not/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [If you wanted to watch me work, it would be totally boring. It would look like a Warhol film where nothing happens. I sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/if-you-wanted-to-watch-me-work-it-would-be-totally-boring-it-would/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [Whenever you look at light, basically it's just air. It has no tactileness to it. It's totally without density.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/whenever-you-look-at-light-basically-it-s-just-air-it-has-no/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [If I hold up a red square for 30 seconds and take it away, you will see a perfect green square. It's how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/if-i-hold-up-a-red-square-for-30-seconds-and-take-it-away-you-will/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [Every time you do something, make something, it's final in a way, but it's not. It immediately raises a great set of questions. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/every-time-you-do-something-make-something-it-s-final-in-a-way-but-it/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [The thing about a plant is, let's say it will have 50 or 100 little points of bright red. If you look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/the-thing-about-a-plant-is-let-s-say-it-will-have-50-or-100-little/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [When you walk into a room, you assess it instantaneously, habitually, before you're even aware of it. I mean, you make sure there's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/when-you-walk-into-a-room-you-assess-it-instantaneously-habitually/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [It's my observation that gardeners and gardening for a very long time have had to take a back seat. Architects are very famous; they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/it-s-my-observation-that-gardeners-and-gardening-for-a-very-long-time/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [Every situation has qualities. Essentially, we quantify them and that's the practical side of our lives, so the involvement with perception and in acquiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/every-situation-has-qualities-essentially-we-quantify-them-and-that-s/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [“History is nothing but the lies we tell about our ancestors”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/history-is-nothing-but-the-lies-we-tell-about-our-ancestors/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [There's no way to really mock up or simulate what I'm doing until I'm there. An exhibition for me is not a statement but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/there-s-no-way-to-really-mock-up-or-simulate-what-i-m-doing-until-i-m/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [I slowly dismantled the act of painting, to consider the possibility that no-thing ever really transcends its immediate environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/i-slowly-dismantled-the-act-of-painting-to-consider-the-possibility/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) > [For the next week, try the best you can to pay attention to sounds. You will start hearing all these sounds coming in. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/for-the-next-week-try-the-best-you-can-to-pay-attention-to-sounds-you/) [Robert Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) [Explore all 21 Robert Irwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/) ## 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. 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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is our state of consciousness and the shape of our perceptions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Irwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-making-paintings-or-objects-at-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-making-paintings-or-objects-at-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/robert-irwin-27231_art_to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-makin_2597410.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is…” — Robert Irwin", "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": "Robert Irwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be an artist is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-making-paintings-or-objects-at-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irwin/to-be-an-artist-is-not-a-matter-of-making-paintings-or-objects-at-all/#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 } } ] } ```