---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Robert von Neumann taught painting, and…"
description: "\"Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got into a painting class of his, he reacted in much the same way.\" — Warren MacKenzie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg"
---

#  Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got…

![“Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got into a painting class of his, he reacted in much the same way.” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg)

> “Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got into a painting class of his, he reacted in much the same way.”

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

## About This Quote

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

He taught painting, and the speaker experienced a similar reaction in his class.

**In simple terms:** Teaching painting caused a similar reaction.

Key Takeaway

Expect similar reactions from mentors.

Themes

teaching art reaction

Mood

curious reflective

Type

anecdotal observational

When to use this quote

- art class
- mentor interaction
- learning environment
- creative process
- student expectations

Key Concepts

pedagogy artist‑student dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond to unexpected teaching styles?
- What expectations do you bring to a new class?

A Different Perspective

The reaction may differ based on individual perception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Class Reacted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-reacted-5945163/) [Neumann Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neumann-taught-5945161/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Reacted Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reacted-way-1274847/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-painting-5945162/) [Von neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-neumann/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [School and things that painters have taught me even keep me from painting as I want to. I decided I was a very stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/school-and-things-that-painters-have-taught-me-even-keep-me-from/)

[Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/)

> [The two teachers that I had in the Art Institute who affected me the most were Kathleen Blackshear and Robert von Neumann; Kathleen Blackshear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/the-two-teachers-that-i-had-in-the-art-institute-who-affected-me-the/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ If you didn't know what you were trying to do, \[Robert von Neumann\] wouldn't say a word. He would just turn and walk away.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/if-you-didn-t-know-what-you-were-trying-to-do-robert-von-neumann/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ Those two teachers \[Kathleen Blackshear and Robert von Neumann\] were just fantastic, I thought. They never directed you in a single direction, but they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/those-two-teachers-kathleen-blackshear-and-robert-von-neumann-were/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ It was a figure painting class, where you had a model, and \[Robert von Neumann \] would wander around and he'd come up behind… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-figure-painting-class-where-you-had-a-model-and-robert-von/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [“Evan never reacted the way I expected, but that was something that had always drawn me to him. And that hadn't changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/evan-never-reacted-the-way-i-expected-but-that-was-something-that-had/)

[Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/)

> [“If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation...It's simple: overspecialize, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/motoko-kusanagi-ghost-in-the-shell-1995/if-we-all-reacted-the-same-way-we-d-be-predictable-and-there-s-always-2/)

[Motoko Kusanagi ⎯ Ghost in the Shell (1995](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/motoko-kusanagi-ghost-in-the-shell-1995/)

> [“If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation. What's true for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/motoko-kusanagi/if-we-all-reacted-the-same-way-we-d-be-predictable-and-there-s-always/)

[Motoko Kusanagi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/motoko-kusanagi/)

> [He doesn't know what to make of me," Mat said softly. "How very uncommon. I can't think of anyone else who has reacted that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/he-doesn-t-know-what-to-make-of-me-mat-said-softly-how-very-uncommon/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [“Unfortunately, once we have reacted, there is no way to undo our impact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-obear/unfortunately-once-we-have-reacted-there-is-no-way-to-undo-our-impact/)

[Kathy Obear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-obear/)

> [“I guess I should have reacted the way most of the other girls were, but I couldn't get myself to react. I felt very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-guess-i-should-have-reacted-the-way-most-of-the-other-girls-were/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [In life you get one take, and it's perfect. It's strange, afterwards you might think I shouldn't have reacted that way, but that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/in-life-you-get-one-take-and-it-s-perfect-it-s-strange-afterwards-you/)

[Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/)

> [There are two kinds of people in the world: Johnny Von Neumann and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-johnny-von-neumann-and-the/)

[Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/)

> [“In fact, it took the resources of three countries to produce the bomb: the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. But there was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/in-fact-it-took-the-resources-of-three-countries-to-produce-the-bomb/)

[Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/)

> [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/)

[Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/)

## More by Warren MacKenzie

> [ \[Kathleen Blackshear\] just said, "Have you thought of looking at this?" and so on and so on and so on. And it was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/kathleen-blackshear-just-said-have-you-thought-of-looking-at-this-and/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ Some years ago I was working on some forms which were vase forms with a fairly narrow base, and it was after \[Hans\] Coper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/some-years-ago-i-was-working-on-some-forms-which-were-vase-forms-with/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-found-out-later-on-that-was-not-true-that-life-drawing-tells-you-a/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ At the end of that two weeks Bernard \[Leach\] asked us if we would like to sit with him tending the kiln, the big… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/at-the-end-of-that-two-weeks-bernard-leach-asked-us-if-we-would-like/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-got-drafted-into-the-army-and-by-pure-chance-was-pushed-into-a-silk/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/chicago-is-a-wonderful-area-because-it-s-blessed-with-a-tremendous/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with \[Bernard\] Leach. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-wonderful-opportunity-and-so-for-two-and-a-half-years-we/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [I went to the Chicago Art Institute, which was the best painting school in the area at that time. And I took painting classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-went-to-the-chicago-art-institute-which-was-the-best-painting/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [It was there that we really first came in contact with the work of Shoji Hamada, who was Bernard's best friend from Japan, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-there-that-we-really-first-came-in-contact-with-the-work-of/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ Bernard \[Leach\] was making pots which were duplicates of his drawing, and that was a difference of approach, which I think is quite critical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-leach-was-making-pots-which-were-duplicates-of-his-drawing/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [I don't know, it's very difficult if you're in a strange country to just barge in and say, "Hello, I'm Warren MacKenzie, and aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-don-t-know-it-s-very-difficult-if-you-re-in-a-strange-country-to/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [ \[Shoji\] Hamada seldom drew an exact drawing of a pot that he was going to make. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/shoji-hamada-seldom-drew-an-exact-drawing-of-a-pot-that-he-was-going/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

[Explore all 108 Warren MacKenzie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got into a painting class of his, he reacted in much the same way.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Warren MacKenzie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-when-i-finally-got-into-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-when-i-finally-got-into-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/warren-mackenzie-4654_artist_robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-w_768504.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Robert von Neumann taught painting, and when I finally got into a painting class of his, he reacted in much…” — Warren MacKenzie",
                "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": "Warren MacKenzie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Robert von Neumann taught painting, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-when-i-finally-got-into-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/robert-von-neumann-taught-painting-and-when-i-finally-got-into-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
