---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko…"
description: "\"The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the neo-Plasticists, and so on) all had in common was to be inside and outside at the same time. Fo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg"
---

#  The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the…

![“The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the neo-Plasticists, and so on) all had in common was to be inside and outside at the same time. For me, to be inside and outside is to be in an unheated studio with broken windows in the winter, or taking a nap on somebody's porch in the summer.” quote by Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg)

> “The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the neo-Plasticists, and so on) all had in common was to be inside and outside at the same time. For me, to be inside and outside is to be in an unheated studio with broken windows in the winter, or taking a nap on somebody's porch in the summer.”

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote highlights the paradox of artists seeking both intimate immersion and detached observation, embodying dual perspectives in creative work.

**In simple terms:** Artists aim to be both participant and observer.

Key Takeaway

Embrace both involvement and detachment in creation.

Themes

creativity duality perspective

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- studio practice
- field research
- public installations
- collaborative projects

Key Concepts

modernism art theory subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does being both inside and outside affect artistic decisions?
- When does detachment hinder authenticity?

A Different Perspective

Balancing immersion and detachment can cause indecision or loss of focus.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broken windows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-windows/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/)

## Related quotes

> [“She turns to the man beside her, As if to say she understood how inside And outside the rooms of love The landscape was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-m-evasco/she-turns-to-the-man-beside-her-as-if-to-say-she-understood-how/)

[Marjorie M. Evasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-m-evasco/)

> [For me, it's just me trying to be the best me I can be inside and outside of the car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valtteri-bottas/for-me-it-s-just-me-trying-to-be-the-best-me-i-can-be-inside-and/)

[Valtteri Bottas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valtteri-bottas/)

> [I have so many plans inside and outside the Octagon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cub-swanson/i-have-so-many-plans-inside-and-outside-the-octagon/)

[Cub Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cub-swanson/)

> [I'm a great inside and outside runner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-elliott/i-m-a-great-inside-and-outside-runner/)

[Ezekiel Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-elliott/)

> [Taking care of yourself inside and outside is what's key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyeon-jung/taking-care-of-yourself-inside-and-outside-is-what-s-key/)

[HoYeon Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyeon-jung/)

> [Beauty is being the best possible version of yourself on the inside and outside..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-is-being-the-best-possible-version-of-yourself-on-the-inside-3/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [All day and all night and everything he sees Is just blue like him inside and outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiffel-65/all-day-and-all-night-and-everything-he-sees-is-just-blue-like-him/)

[Eiffel 65](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiffel-65/)

> [“feel the broken windows theory can be applied to your home and workspace. If you’re surrounded by piles of clutter, it can have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-scott/feel-the-broken-windows-theory-can-be-applied-to-your-home-and/)

[S.J. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-scott/)

> [So open your eyes child, let's be on our way. Broken windows and ashes are guiding the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-open-your-eyes-child-let-s-be-on-our-way-broken-windows-and-ashes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [But the most horrible spot … lies…immediately south west of Oxford Road and is known as Little Ireland. The race that lives in these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/but-the-most-horrible-spot-lies-immediately-south-west-of-oxford-road/)

[Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/)

> [“In the dark, in no starlight at all, the blocks hurtled invisibly by, ejected into the night air; he heard them break but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/in-the-dark-in-no-starlight-at-all-the-blocks-hurtled-invisibly-by/)

[Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/)

> [“Where others saw a dilapidated farmhouse with broken windows and collapsed roof she saw a couple pushing off on the wooden porch swing, caught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-patrick-howard/where-others-saw-a-dilapidated-farmhouse-with-broken-windows-and/)

Rebecca Patrick-Howard

> [“Let me tell you: where the knife failed, you have succeeded. He is shattered - you have turned out all his lights! You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-perry/let-me-tell-you-where-the-knife-failed-you-have-succeeded-he-is/)

[Sarah Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-perry/)

> [Public order is a fragile thing, and if you don't fix the first broken window, soon all the windows will be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/public-order-is-a-fragile-thing-and-if-you-don-t-fix-the-first-broken/)

[James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/)

## More by Willem de Kooning

> [The texture of experience is prior to everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-texture-of-experience-is-prior-to-everything-else/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Art should not have to be a certain way,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/art-should-not-have-to-be-a-certain-way/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [I think I'm painting a picture of two women but it may turn out to be a landscape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/i-think-i-m-painting-a-picture-of-two-women-but-it-may-turn-out-to-be/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Im not someone whos ever said anything definitive about his work. In my life also I have very little fixed form. I can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/im-not-someone-whos-ever-said-anything-definitive-about-his-work-in/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Style is a fraud. I always felt the Greeks were hiding behind their columns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/style-is-a-fraud-i-always-felt-the-greeks-were-hiding-behind-their/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Whatever an artist's personal feelings are, as soon as an artist fills a certain area on the canvas or circumscribes it, he becomes historical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/whatever-an-artist-s-personal-feelings-are-as-soon-as-an-artist-fills/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [The idea of space is given to the artist to change if he can. The subject matter in the abstract is space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-idea-of-space-is-given-to-the-artist-to-change-if-he-can-the/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [If I stretch my arms and wonder where my fingers are - that is all the space I need as a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/if-i-stretch-my-arms-and-wonder-where-my-fingers-are-that-is-all-the/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [The artist fills space with an attitude. The attitude never comes from himself alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-artist-fills-space-with-an-attitude-the-attitude-never-comes-from/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Flesh was the reason why oil painting was invented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/flesh-was-the-reason-why-oil-painting-was-invented/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [I feel sometimes an American artist must feel, like a baseball player or something - a member of a team writing American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/i-feel-sometimes-an-american-artist-must-feel-like-a-baseball-player/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Maybe in that earlier phase I was painting the woman in me. Art isn't a wholly masculine occupation, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/maybe-in-that-earlier-phase-i-was-painting-the-woman-in-me-art-isn-t/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Yes, I am influenced by everbody. But every time I put my hands in my pockets I find someone else's fingers there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/yes-i-am-influenced-by-everbody-but-every-time-i-put-my-hands-in-my/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [I'd like to get all the colors in the world into one painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/i-d-like-to-get-all-the-colors-in-the-world-into-one-painting/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [Spiritually I am wherever my spirit allows me to be, and that is not necessarily in the future... Art never seems to make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/spiritually-i-am-wherever-my-spirit-allows-me-to-be-and-that-is-not/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

[Explore all 54 Willem de Kooning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

## More Broken quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the neo-Plasticists, and so on) all had in common was to be inside and outside at the same time. For me, to be inside and outside is to be in an unheated studio with broken windows in the winter, or taking a nap on somebody's porch in the summer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Willem de Kooning"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatlin-gabo-the-neo-plasticists/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broken"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatlin-gabo-the-neo-plasticists/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/willem-de-kooning-12563_broken_the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatli_1836088.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin, Gabo, the neo-Plasticists, and so on) all had in common was to…” — Willem de Kooning",
                "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": "Willem de Kooning",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The point they (Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Tatlin,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatlin-gabo-the-neo-plasticists/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/the-point-they-lissitzky-rodchenko-tatlin-gabo-the-neo-plasticists/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
