---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is a form of understanding like…"
description: "\"Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the difference is that art has the capacity to hold..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg"
---

#  Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science…

![“Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the difference is that art has the capacity to hold all these different things. It is the form of understanding that is best suited for the contemporary time.” quote by Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg)

> “Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the difference is that art has the capacity to hold all these different things. It is the form of understanding that is best suited for the contemporary time.”

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art integrates diverse ways of knowing, offering a holistic grasp of contemporary issues beyond the scope of singular disciplines.

**In simple terms:** Art blends many ways of knowing.

Key Takeaway

Use art to synthesize ideas.

Themes

creativity interdisciplinarity contemporary relevance

Mood

reflective inspired critical

Type

philosophical inspirational analytical

When to use this quote

- education
- urban planning
- product design
- public policy
- media criticism

Key Concepts

aesthetics epistemology systems thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How can art complement scientific insight?
- When does artistic interpretation risk oversimplification?

A Different Perspective

Art may lack the rigor of scientific method, leading to subjective interpretations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Difference Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-art-307749/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-things/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-understanding-3362036/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-difference-4599462/)

## Related quotes

> [In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with-equations-i-never-feel-like/)

[Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/)

> [“Understanding the difference between your truth and the words of others will be the most important safeguard you have against becoming a mouthpiece for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-turnbull/understanding-the-difference-between-your-truth-and-the-words-of/)

[Tyler Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-turnbull/)

> [It's hard to tell what people realize. Everybody's different and has a different understanding of the difference in times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/it-s-hard-to-tell-what-people-realize-everybody-s-different-and-has-a/)

[Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/)

> [I love the fact that there's an evolution in your understanding and the difference between the first time you play the role and last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/i-love-the-fact-that-there-s-an-evolution-in-your-understanding-and/)

[Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/)

> [“One real difference between art and craft: with craft, perfection is possible. In that sense the Western definition of craft closely matches the Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles-and-ted-orland/one-real-difference-between-art-and-craft-with-craft-perfection-is/)

[David Bayles and Ted Orland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles-and-ted-orland/)

> [One clear difference between art and commercial work is that commercial work is exploitive: the work may be high quality but the intention is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/one-clear-difference-between-art-and-commercial-work-is-that/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [ The main difference between the art of the actor and all other arts is that every other \[non-performing\] artist may create whenever he is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-stanislavski/the-main-difference-between-the-art-of-the-actor-and-all-other-arts/)

[Constantin Stanislavski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-stanislavski/)

> [There is a difference between art and life and that difference is readability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-engel/there-is-a-difference-between-art-and-life-and-that-difference-is/)

[Marian Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-engel/)

> [“Art helps you connect to the world, not escape from it. That is the difference between art and entertainment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rozoff/art-helps-you-connect-to-the-world-not-escape-from-it-that-is-the/)

[James Rozoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rozoff/)

> [The difference between art and craft lies not in the tools you hold in your hands, but in the mental set that guides them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-difference-between-art-and-craft-lies-not-in-the-tools-you-hold/)

[David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/)

> [For me there is no difference between art and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/for-me-there-is-no-difference-between-art-and-life/)

[Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/)

> [Mathematics is really an art, not a science. You could say science also is an art. So I would say the difference is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/mathematics-is-really-an-art-not-a-science-you-could-say-science-also/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [The Difference Between Art and Life is that Art is More Bearable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-difference-between-art-and-life-is-that-art-is-more-bearable/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“In the twentieth century, one encounters artworks that seek to cancel the difference between a real and an imagined reality by presenting themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-luhmann/in-the-twentieth-century-one-encounters-artworks-that-seek-to-cancel/)

[Niklas Luhmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-luhmann/)

> [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

## More by Robert Longo

> [The translation process becomes a highly subjective thing - turning reds and blues into black-and-whiteness. It's really bizarre for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/the-translation-process-becomes-a-highly-subjective-thing-turning/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [I always imagine that I want to make art that is going to kill you,whether it’s going to do it visually or physically, I’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/i-always-imagine-that-i-want-to-make-art-that-is-going-to-kill-you/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [My degree was in sculpture. I always think that drawing is a sculptural process. I always feel like I'm carving the image out rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/my-degree-was-in-sculpture-i-always-think-that-drawing-is-a/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [I've been dealing with epic images, and I realized all of a sudden that I grew up in the age of epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/i-ve-been-dealing-with-epic-images-and-i-realized-all-of-a-sudden/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [I think the pursuit of trying to understand things is really a critical issue. I see the issue of life and death in everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/i-think-the-pursuit-of-trying-to-understand-things-is-really-a/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [An artist can have an intention, but the viewer has their own subjective experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/an-artist-can-have-an-intention-but-the-viewer-has-their-own/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [I'm trying to find answers. It can be quite frustrating, but at the same time, I'm never quite satisfied with what I'm doing, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/i-m-trying-to-find-answers-it-can-be-quite-frustrating-but-at-the/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [Dying young is the easy way out. It's much harder to keep your edge and keep it going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/dying-young-is-the-easy-way-out-it-s-much-harder-to-keep-your-edge/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [When I look back on everything I've done, it all somehow makes sense to me. But it doesn't make sense when you're actually doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/when-i-look-back-on-everything-i-ve-done-it-all-somehow-makes-sense/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [One of the interesting things I discovered is that in the late 19th century, painters actually had black-and-white copies made of their own paintings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/one-of-the-interesting-things-i-discovered-is-that-in-the-late-19th/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [I can't come up with the titles. My wife hates my titles. She doesn't even want to know about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/i-can-t-come-up-with-the-titles-my-wife-hates-my-titles-she-doesn-t/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [The artist has to be a guardian of the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/the-artist-has-to-be-a-guardian-of-the-culture/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [If you're fortunate enough with your history, like with Men in the Cities, your work becomes so absorbed in culture that the authorship of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/if-you-re-fortunate-enough-with-your-history-like-with-men-in-the/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [Modern abstract art starts in Russia in about 1915 with Malevich, and then the Russian Revolution happens, and eventually all that experimental art gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/modern-abstract-art-starts-in-russia-in-about-1915-with-malevich-and/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [A lot of us grew up in public. That often means that you have to fail in public too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/a-lot-of-us-grew-up-in-public-that-often-means-that-you-have-to-fail/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

[Explore all 30 Robert Longo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

## 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": "Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the difference is that art has the capacity to hold all these different things. It is the form of understanding that is best suited for the contemporary time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Longo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-philosophy-and-science-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-philosophy-and-science-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/robert-longo-20950_art_art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-phil_2268963.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the…” — Robert Longo",
                "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 Longo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Art is a form of understanding...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-philosophy-and-science-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-philosophy-and-science-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
