--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Kerry James Marshall especially was a…" description: "\"Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me in graduate school, as were Wangechi Mutu and Julie Mehretu. These artists are titans. My ed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/toyin-odutola-27779_art_kerry-james-marshall-especially-was-a-hu_1814258.jpg" --- # Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me… ![“Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me in graduate school, as were Wangechi Mutu and Julie Mehretu. These artists are titans. My education was also very much in comic books, so I've been going to comic book events in New York and have met a few artists there.” quote by Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/toyin-odutola-27779_art_kerry-james-marshall-especially-was-a-hu_1814258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/toyin-odutola-27779_art_kerry-james-marshall-especially-was-a-hu_1814258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/toyin-odutola-27779_art_kerry-james-marshall-especially-was-a-hu_1814258.jpg) > “Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me in graduate school, as were Wangechi Mutu and Julie Mehretu. These artists are titans. My education was also very much in comic books, so I've been going to comic book events in New York and have met a few artists there.” [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker credits Marshall, Mutu, and Mehretu as pivotal influences, alongside comic book culture, shaping artistic development. **In simple terms:** Influential artists and comics shaped their art. Key Takeaway Seek diverse artistic influences. Themes inspiration artistic development culture Mood reflective enthusiastic Type inspirational conversational When to use this quote - gallery visits - comic conventions - art workshops - networking events Key Concepts art history visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - Which new medium could expand your practice? - How does comic art affect your visual language? A Different Perspective Overreliance on specific influences may limit originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Comic books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-books/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-comic-2140837/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Huge influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-influence/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Graduate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-graduate-2140835/) [Mehretu Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mehretu-artists-2140836/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Titans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titans/) ## Related quotes > [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [To understand something, whether we are aware of it or not, depends on choosing a model. We get to understand what we see by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-mcgilchrist/to-understand-something-whether-we-are-aware-of-it-or-not-depends-on/) [Iain McGilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-mcgilchrist/) > [My grandmother was a huge influence on me. She allowed me to be my flamboyant self as a kid. She babysat me; auditions came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bolger/my-grandmother-was-a-huge-influence-on-me-she-allowed-me-to-be-my/) [Sarah Bolger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bolger/) > [R Stevie Moore was obviously a huge influence and is still a very big influence in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-pink/r-stevie-moore-was-obviously-a-huge-influence-and-is-still-a-very-big/) [Ariel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-pink/) > [I could start with Mandelstam, who was a huge influence on my early writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-could-start-with-mandelstam-who-was-a-huge-influence-on-my-early/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [Lil Wayne, who is actually responsible for my career has always been a huge influence to me and one of my heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/lil-wayne-who-is-actually-responsible-for-my-career-has-always-been-a/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Tennessee Williams was so adept at portraying characters who are both fallible and vulnerable. Women were a huge influence in his life, his mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/tennessee-williams-was-so-adept-at-portraying-characters-who-are-both/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [Thank you Paula Abdul for being a huge influence in my life.Without you I could never live with myself.You have taught me that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzel/thank-you-paula-abdul-for-being-a-huge-influence-in-my-life-without/) [Itzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzel/) > [I've always been a huge Butthole Surfers fan. The first time I saw them was in the early '80s when all they had out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-osborne/i-ve-always-been-a-huge-butthole-surfers-fan-the-first-time-i-saw/) [Buzz Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-osborne/) > [The Beatles were a huge influence on me to write really good melodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-shattuck/the-beatles-were-a-huge-influence-on-me-to-write-really-good-melodies/) [Kim Shattuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-shattuck/) > [I loved David Lean, he had a huge influence on me when I was going to film school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/i-loved-david-lean-he-had-a-huge-influence-on-me-when-i-was-going-to/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > [Really, more than anything, The 2000 Year Old Man is a huge influence on all of our comedy, but specifically the live version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kroll/really-more-than-anything-the-2000-year-old-man-is-a-huge-influence/) [Nick Kroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kroll/) > [There have been a lot of strong women who have had a huge influence on my career. I'm working with Imelda Staunton at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-horne/there-have-been-a-lot-of-strong-women-who-have-had-a-huge-influence/) [Mathew Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-horne/) > ['Fawlty Towers' was a huge influence on me. I mean, it was so slapstick, too. 'Are You Being Served?' was on 15 times a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-krisel/fawlty-towers-was-a-huge-influence-on-me-i-mean-it-was-so-slapstick/) [Jonathan Krisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-krisel/) > [I would say growing up in Nashville has been a huge influence in my music. Growing up with my dad being a 2-time Grammy-winner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-would-say-growing-up-in-nashville-has-been-a-huge-influence-in-my/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) ## More by Toyin Odutola > [I'm really interested in independent publishers and memes and mini comics. But even before that, I was interested in Japanese manga and anime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/i-m-really-interested-in-independent-publishers-and-memes-and-mini/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [For a while, I was nervous about portraying women because of the objectification that automatically comes with it, whether the artist intends or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/for-a-while-i-was-nervous-about-portraying-women-because-of-the/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [The social media bit is really about documenting process. I like the dialogue if it's constructive, but I'm now at a crossroads. I've accumulated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/the-social-media-bit-is-really-about-documenting-process-i-like-the/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [I needed to create something I could take with me wherever I went.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/i-needed-to-create-something-i-could-take-with-me-wherever-i-went/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [I dont think about race before I start drawing. 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What I am creating is literally black portraiture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/where-some-may-see-flat-static-narratives-i-see-a-spectrum-of-tonal/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [It's kind of a language I've developed over time that's basically breaking up the face into components and planes. Inside each plane, I draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/it-s-kind-of-a-language-i-ve-developed-over-time-that-s-basically/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [I moved around a lot when I was a child; two of the houses I grew up in have totally disappeared. One was burnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/i-moved-around-a-lot-when-i-was-a-child-two-of-the-houses-i-grew-up/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [I don't think about race before I start drawing. I think about how to make that mark to fit whatever purpose I need it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/i-don-t-think-about-race-before-i-start-drawing-i-think-about-how-to/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [I started blogging because I didn't know if I wanted to be an artist. 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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": "Kerry James Marshall especially was a huge influence on me in graduate school, as were Wangechi Mutu and Julie Mehretu. 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