--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [My] goal as an artist is to create…" description: "\"[My] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex images with greater and greater clarity of form and intensity of vision.\" — Roger Ballen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png" --- # \[My\] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex… ![“[My] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex images with greater and greater clarity of form and intensity of vision.” quote by Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png) > “\[My\] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex images with greater and greater clarity of form and intensity of vision.” [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist seeks to increase visual complexity while sharpening form and vision. **In simple terms:** Create clearer, more complex images. Key Takeaway Push artistic boundaries through detail. Themes art vision complexity clarity Mood reflective inquisitive Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - art education - personal practice Key Concepts aesthetic theory visual perception creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance complexity with accessibility? - What does clarity mean in your work? A Different Perspective Complexity may alienate some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-create-340904/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Complex Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-images-410938/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-artist-1033427/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Greater Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-clarity-1126068/) [Images Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/images-greater-954674/) [Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensity/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [The goal of an artist is to create the definitive work that cannot be surpassed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-goal-of-an-artist-is-to-create-the-definitive-work-that-cannot-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Of course, it gave the studio an enormous power, because I don't know any other place who had that skill with images to communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/of-course-it-gave-the-studio-an-enormous-power-because-i-don-t-know/) [John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/) > [It's still not easy to find roles that offer more complex images of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/it-s-still-not-easy-to-find-roles-that-offer-more-complex-images-of/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [I think my relationship with life has changed - I want to make more complex images than before. Complex in the sense that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gonzalez/i-think-my-relationship-with-life-has-changed-i-want-to-make-more/) [Luis Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gonzalez/) > [I would love to do musicals, sitcoms and even television talk shows. I think I have the potential. But most importantly, my ultimate goal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-park/i-would-love-to-do-musicals-sitcoms-and-even-television-talk-shows-i/) [Jamie Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-park/) > [The goal of the artist is not to resolve life's mysteries, but to deepen them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-uelsmann/the-goal-of-the-artist-is-not-to-resolve-life-s-mysteries-but-to/) [Jerry Uelsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-uelsmann/) > [My goal as an artist is to always be true to who I am and give my fans music they will enjoy for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-always-be-true-to-who-i-am-and-give-my/) [Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/) > [The good work proceeds with tenacity, intention, without interruption, with an equal measure of passion and reason and it must surpass that goal the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/the-good-work-proceeds-with-tenacity-intention-without-interruption/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [Art and war are opposites, so our goal as an artist is to build and create, not destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/art-and-war-are-opposites-so-our-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-build-and/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [I don't know what makes someone hip. The goal is artist achievement and the best work we can do with no limitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rubin/i-don-t-know-what-makes-someone-hip-the-goal-is-artist-achievement/) [Rick Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rubin/) > [“The goal of the artist is not to solve a question irrefutably, but to force people to love life in all its countless, inexhaustible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-goal-of-the-artist-is-not-to-solve-a-question-irrefutably-but-to/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“How can this experience I am now having support the awakening of greater clarity and compassion in my life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-falcon/how-can-this-experience-i-am-now-having-support-the-awakening-of/) [Ted Falcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-falcon/) > [The experience of going to the other side to nirvana clarifies and simplifies your view of all things. You see the world with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-experience-of-going-to-the-other-side-to-nirvana-clarifies-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Every place you go, every person you meet, every job you have is a chance to gain greater clarity in your self-education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/every-place-you-go-every-person-you-meet-every-job-you-have-is-a/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [“When we ground ourselves in the present moment, we spontaneously connect better with others. We become more responsive and less reactive, listening more deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lama-surya-das/when-we-ground-ourselves-in-the-present-moment-we-spontaneously/) [Lama Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lama-surya-das/) ## More by Roger Ballen > [I never think about a photo before I start it. I try to let my mind relax, and then when I get there I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/i-never-think-about-a-photo-before-i-start-it-i-try-to-let-my-mind/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [It is my belief that the most challenging photographs are those that create a tension between what we refer to as the real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/it-is-my-belief-that-the-most-challenging-photographs-are-those-that/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Life on the planet and in our galaxy is so complex, I don't hope to have any substantial effect in it, but if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/life-on-the-planet-and-in-our-galaxy-is-so-complex-i-don-t-hope-to/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [If an artist is one who spends his life trying to define his being, I guess I would have to call myself an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/if-an-artist-is-one-who-spends-his-life-trying-to-define-his-being-i/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [In the end, I believe that the most important influence on my aesthetic has been the photographs I have taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/in-the-end-i-believe-that-the-most-important-influence-on-my/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Nothing is staged. And nothing is already there. Everything is transformed through the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/nothing-is-staged-and-nothing-is-already-there-everything-is/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [I never prepare a speech. I never think when I give a speech, except for "don't embarrass yourself or others," meaning "remember the names…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/i-never-prepare-a-speech-i-never-think-when-i-give-a-speech-except/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [My best Pictures are the ones I don’t understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-best-pictures-are-the-ones-i-don-t-understand/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Black and White is essentially an abstract way to interpret and transform what one might refer to as reality. My purpose in taking photographs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/black-and-white-is-essentially-an-abstract-way-to-interpret-and/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [The pictures are of a psychological culture, a Jungian culture, if you will. It emanates from my own psyche... It's a hard place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/the-pictures-are-of-a-psychological-culture-a-jungian-culture-if-you/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [ \[Photography\] tells you that every second in time is different from every other second. You want people to understand that the image in front… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/photography-tells-you-that-every-second-in-time-is-different-from/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Black and white is a very minimalist art form and unlike color photographs does not pretend to mimic the world in a manner similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/black-and-white-is-a-very-minimalist-art-form-and-unlike-color/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [When you go searching, you never know what you will find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/when-you-go-searching-you-never-know-what-you-will-find/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) [Explore all 14 Roger Ballen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) ## 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": "[My] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex images with greater and greater clarity of form and intensity of vision.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Ballen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increasingly-complex-images-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increasingly-complex-images-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/roger-ballen-34238_art_my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increa_1549469.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[My] goal as an artist is to create increasingly complex images with greater and greater clarity of form and…” — Roger Ballen", "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": "Roger Ballen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[My] goal as an artist is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increasingly-complex-images-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-goal-as-an-artist-is-to-create-increasingly-complex-images-with/#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 } } ] } ```