--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure we don't read old paintings the…" description: "\"I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were intended\" — Robert Rauschenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg" --- # I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were… ![“I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were intended” quote by Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg) > “I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were intended” [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern viewers interpret old paintings through contemporary lenses, not the artists' original intent. **In simple terms:** We see old art with today's perspectives. Key Takeaway Consider historical context when viewing art. Themes art interpretation history perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - museum visits - art education - curation - personal reflection Key Concepts contextualism subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does your era shape your view of art? - Can you separate your bias from the artwork? A Different Perspective Sometimes original intent is essential for full appreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) ## Related quotes > [I can't conceive of anything being more varied and rich and handsome than the planet Earth. And its crowning beauty is the natural world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/i-can-t-conceive-of-anything-being-more-varied-and-rich-and-handsome/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [People don't always read things the way they are intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/people-don-t-always-read-things-the-way-they-are-intended/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [Sometimes the wrong thing is said or things don't come out the way they were intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-grammer/sometimes-the-wrong-thing-is-said-or-things-don-t-come-out-the-way/) [Camille Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-grammer/) > [God designed it this way; He intended that His great power, wisdom, and love should become visible in very ordinary and otherwise inconsequential people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stedman/god-designed-it-this-way-he-intended-that-his-great-power-wisdom-and/) [Ray Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stedman/) > [“In the old pieces of furniture almost as in the old paintings, dwells the charm of the past, of the faded which becomes stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adalbert-stifter/in-the-old-pieces-of-furniture-almost-as-in-the-old-paintings-dwells/) [Adalbert Stifter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adalbert-stifter/) > [The Internet is a crazy archive of a lot of old everything. Paintings, drawings, old, new, and everything in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/borns/the-internet-is-a-crazy-archive-of-a-lot-of-old-everything-paintings/) [Borns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/borns/) > [I had a total revelation with the feminist moment, with Carolee Scheeman and Marina Abromovic and of course Joan Jonas; that was a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ragnar-kjartansson/i-had-a-total-revelation-with-the-feminist-moment-with-carolee/) [Ragnar Kjartansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ragnar-kjartansson/) > [“A lover of comfort might shrug after looking at the whole apparent jumble of furniture, old paintings, statues with missing arms and legs, engravings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-goncharov/a-lover-of-comfort-might-shrug-after-looking-at-the-whole-apparent/) [Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-goncharov/) > [I love my old paintings as postulates as fresh starting points but I have to destroy them. I have to make a new manifesto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-love-my-old-paintings-as-postulates-as-fresh-starting-points-but-i/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [I read the 'Old Testament' all the way through when I was about 13 and was horrified. A few months afterwards I read 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-read-the-old-testament-all-the-way-through-when-i-was-about-13-and/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Every time I read through our old conversations, I realize how close we used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-time-i-read-through-our-old-conversations-i-realize-how-close/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I doubt if I shall ever have time to read the book again -- there are too many new ones coming out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-doubt-if-i-shall-ever-have-time-to-read-the-book-again-there-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/there-are-three-things-that-grow-more-precious-with-age-old-wood-to/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Tell her the Town told you to come read old dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/tell-her-the-town-told-you-to-come-read-old-dreams/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naturally-since-i-myself-am-a-writer-i-do-not-wish-the-ordinary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Robert Rauschenberg > [Having to be different is the same trap as having to be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/having-to-be-different-is-the-same-trap-as-having-to-be-the-same/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [There is no reason not to consider the world as one gigantic painting,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/there-is-no-reason-not-to-consider-the-world-as-one-gigantic-painting/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [I'm quite taken aback when I get something that appears to be technically a good photograph, because it's not necessarily my intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-quite-taken-aback-when-i-get-something-that-appears-to-be/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [I was much happier when I had less responsibility... when my only responsibility was to my work and to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-was-much-happier-when-i-had-less-responsibility-when-my-only/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [It is neither Art for Art, nor Art against Art. I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/it-is-neither-art-for-art-nor-art-against-art-i-am-for-art-but-for/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [People ask me, 'Don't you ever run out of ideas?' In the first place I don't use ideas. Every time I have an idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/people-ask-me-don-t-you-ever-run-out-of-ideas-in-the-first-place-i/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [So that ideas of sort of relaxed symmetry have been something for years that I have been concerned with because I think that symmetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/so-that-ideas-of-sort-of-relaxed-symmetry-have-been-something-for/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [I don't really trust ideas, especially good ones. Rather I put my trust in the materials that confront me, because they put me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-don-t-really-trust-ideas-especially-good-ones-rather-i-put-my-trust/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [I refuse to be in this world by myself. I want an open commitment from the rest of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-refuse-to-be-in-this-world-by-myself-i-want-an-open-commitment-from/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [The only thing that I could get with chance, and I never was able to use it, was that I would end up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/the-only-thing-that-i-could-get-with-chance-and-i-never-was-able-to/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [This telegram is a work of art if I say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/this-telegram-is-a-work-of-art-if-i-say-it-is/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [Understanding is a form of blindness. Good art, I think, can never be understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/understanding-is-a-form-of-blindness-good-art-i-think-can-never-be/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [Sometimes I have taken photographs and just felt so excited that I could barely hold the camera steady, and the photo was boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/sometimes-i-have-taken-photographs-and-just-felt-so-excited-that-i/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [I am sick of talking about What and Why I am doing. I have always believed that the WORK is the word. Action is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-am-sick-of-talking-about-what-and-why-i-am-doing-i-have-always/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [And also the new excitement and variety of ways that the abstract expressionists were applying paint. You could put it on as though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/and-also-the-new-excitement-and-variety-of-ways-that-the-abstract/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) [Explore all 102 Robert Rauschenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) ## 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": "I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were intended", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Rauschenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the-way-they-were-intended/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the-way-they-were-intended/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/robert-rauschenberg-5257_artist_i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the_343352.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm sure we don't read old paintings the way they were intended” — Robert Rauschenberg", "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 Rauschenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm sure we don't read old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the-way-they-were-intended/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-sure-we-don-t-read-old-paintings-the-way-they-were-intended/#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 } } ] } ```