--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [The artist's aim is] not to instruct the…" description: "\"[The artist's aim is] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow his predetermined premise to its conclusion,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg" --- # \[The artist's aim is\] not to instruct the viewer, but to… ![“[The artist's aim is] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow his predetermined premise to its conclusion, avoiding subjectivity. Chance, taste, or unconsciously remembered forms would play no part in the outcome. The serial artist does not attempt to…” quote by Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg) > “\[The artist's aim is\] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow his predetermined premise to its conclusion, avoiding subjectivity. Chance, taste, or unconsciously remembered forms would play no part in the outcome. The serial artist does not attempt to produce a beautiful or mysterious object but functions merely as a clerk cataloguing the results of his premise.” [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) ## 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 should avoid personal taste, presenting only the logical outcome of a predetermined concept. **In simple terms:** Art as a neutral catalog of ideas. Key Takeaway Follow a clear premise, ignore subjectivity. Themes conceptual art objectivity process methodology Mood analytical detached Type theoretical instructional When to use this quote - gallery installation - educational exhibit - public lecture - art criticism Key Concepts art theory determinism cataloguing Questions to Reflect On - How does removing subjectivity affect viewer experience? - Can a purely logical artwork still be moving? A Different Perspective May neglect emotional resonance or audience engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Subjectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjectivity/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) ## Related quotes > [The artist’s aim is not to instruct the viewer, but to give information, whether the viewer understands the information is incidental to the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the-viewer-but-to-give/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [What the artist must aim at above all else is this: to produce, by any process whatever, a work which by the life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medardo-rosso/what-the-artist-must-aim-at-above-all-else-is-this-to-produce-by-any/) Medardo Rosso > [Human beings are 'emotional amoral egoists,' driven above all by emotional self-interest. All of our thoughts, beliefs and motivations are neurochemically mediated, some predetermined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayef-al-rodhan/human-beings-are-emotional-amoral-egoists-driven-above-all-by/) [Nayef Al-Rodhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayef-al-rodhan/) > [In this world, there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time. The first is as rigid and metallic as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-there-are-two-times-there-is-mechanical-time-and-there-2/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [If a person is working toward a predetermined goal and knows where to go, then that person is successful. If a person does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/if-a-person-is-working-toward-a-predetermined-goal-and-knows-where-to/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [It was scary. But it was so liberating. I thought, This is not predetermined - I get to choose. There are some days where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/it-was-scary-but-it-was-so-liberating-i-thought-this-is-not/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“Predetermined fate is the slogan of the incapable people; with better ideas, you can always have a better fate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/predetermined-fate-is-the-slogan-of-the-incapable-people-with-better/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The Lord has never restricted Himself to move by any predetermined formula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-joyner/the-lord-has-never-restricted-himself-to-move-by-any-predetermined/) [Rick Joyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-joyner/) > [Satan tried to put Jesus Christ on the way to becoming King of the world and Savior of men in a way other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/satan-tried-to-put-jesus-christ-on-the-way-to-becoming-king-of-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [It is the striving after perfection that makes one an artist. It is the sense that one is imperfect, unfulfilled, unfinished. One attempts by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/it-is-the-striving-after-perfection-that-makes-one-an-artist-it-is/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [It is only by demanding the impossible of the piano that you can obtain from it all that is possible. For the psychologist this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-neuhaus/it-is-only-by-demanding-the-impossible-of-the-piano-that-you-can/) [Heinrich Neuhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-neuhaus/) > [“I’m not sure I like the idea that my life is already predetermined, though, and that I do not have a choice”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hinesh-vithal/i-m-not-sure-i-like-the-idea-that-my-life-is-already-predetermined/) [Hinesh Vithal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hinesh-vithal/) > [At 12 years old in the dangerous world that I was in, with a very difficult home life, I found the stage was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stewart/at-12-years-old-in-the-dangerous-world-that-i-was-in-with-a-very/) [Patrick Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stewart/) > [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More by Sol LeWitt > [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [The artist is seen like a producer of commodities, like a factory that turns our refrigerators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-is-seen-like-a-producer-of-commodities-like-a-factory-that/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Most ideas that are successful are ludicrously simple. Successful ideas generally have the appearance of simplicity because they seem inevitable. In terms of idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/most-ideas-that-are-successful-are-ludicrously-simple-successful/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Artists teach critics what to think. Critics repeat what the artists teach them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/artists-teach-critics-what-to-think-critics-repeat-what-the-artists/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [In my case, I used the elements of these simple forms - square, cube, line and color - to produce logical systems. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/in-my-case-i-used-the-elements-of-these-simple-forms-square-cube-line/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Conceptual art became the liberating idea that gave the art of the next 40 years its real impetus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/conceptual-art-became-the-liberating-idea-that-gave-the-art-of-the/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [The narrative of serial art works more like music than like literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-narrative-of-serial-art-works-more-like-music-than-like-literature/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Just as the development of earth art and installation art stemmed from the idea of taking art out of the galleries, the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/just-as-the-development-of-earth-art-and-installation-art-stemmed/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [I didn't want to save art - I respected the older artists too much to think art needed saving. But I knew it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/i-didn-t-want-to-save-art-i-respected-the-older-artists-too-much-to/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [One should be intelligent enough to know when not to be too intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/one-should-be-intelligent-enough-to-know-when-not-to-be-too/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [I wasn't really that interested in objects. I was interested in ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/i-wasn-t-really-that-interested-in-objects-i-was-interested-in-ideas/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Your work isn't a high stakes, nail-biting professional challenge. It's a form of play. Lighten up and have fun with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/your-work-isn-t-a-high-stakes-nail-biting-professional-challenge-it-s/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [All of the significant art of today stems from Conceptual art. This includes the art of installation, political, feminist and socially directed art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/all-of-the-significant-art-of-today-stems-from-conceptual-art-this/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artist's mind to the viewer's. But it may never reach the viewer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/a-work-of-art-may-be-understood-as-a-conductor-from-the-artist-s-mind/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [I was not interested in irony; I wanted to emphasize the primacy of the idea in making art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/i-was-not-interested-in-irony-i-wanted-to-emphasize-the-primacy-of/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) [Explore all 57 Sol LeWitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[The artist's aim is] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow his predetermined premise to its conclusion, avoiding subjectivity. Chance, taste, or unconsciously remembered forms would play no part in the outcome. The serial artist does not attempt to produce a beautiful or mysterious object but functions merely as a clerk cataloguing the results of his premise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sol LeWitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the-viewer-but-to-give-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the-viewer-but-to-give-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/sol-lewitt-11839_aim_the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the_825726.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[The artist's aim is] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow…” — Sol LeWitt", "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": "Sol LeWitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[The artist's aim is] not to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the-viewer-but-to-give-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-artist-s-aim-is-not-to-instruct-the-viewer-but-to-give-him/#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 } } ] } ```