--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is this looking at the world as…" description: "\"There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the superficial is w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_admire_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_2392260.jpg" --- # There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns… ![“There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the superficial is what meets the eye. The content can never be disconnected from the surface, and this active interest in surface can never be disregarded from the…” quote by Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_admire_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_2392260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_admire_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_2392260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_admire_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_2392260.jpg) > “There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the superficial is what meets the eye. The content can never be disconnected from the surface, and this active interest in surface can never be disregarded from the good art that we admire.” [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) ## 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 argues that visual elements—shapes, patterns, colors—carry intrinsic meaning and cannot be dismissed as merely superficial; they are essential to understanding and appreciating art. **In simple terms:** Surface details hold meaning and shape perception of art. Key Takeaway Pay attention to visual details to grasp deeper meaning. Themes art perception meaning visuality Mood contemplative inquisitive appreciative Type analytical reflective inspirational When to use this quote - gallery visits - art criticism - design analysis - educational workshops - personal observation Key Concepts aesthetics semiotics phenomenology Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance surface analysis with deeper context? - Can you find meaning in purely abstract forms? A Different Perspective Surface focus may overlook deeper cultural or historical contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Good art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-art/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Unless your life arises from your spontaneity, from your very empty heart, it is going to be just superficial. And with the superficial you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/unless-your-life-arises-from-your-spontaneity-from-your-very-empty/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Find a beautiful piece of art. If you fall in love with Van Gogh or Matisse or John Oliver Killens, or if you fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/find-a-beautiful-piece-of-art-if-you-fall-in-love-with-van-gogh-or/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-shapes-and-patterns-and-colors/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/let-the-writer-take-up-surgery-or-bricklaying-if-he-is-interested-in/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Readers let me know that they like books that have more to them than meets the eye. Had they not let me know that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/readers-let-me-know-that-they-like-books-that-have-more-to-them-than/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [There's more to a picture than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/there-s-more-to-a-picture-than-meets-the-eye/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [There is more than meets the eye-that's why we have a heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-more-than-meets-the-eye-that-s-why-we-have-a-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“than meets the eye! 79 Don’t worry, Fearless Reader—he was framed and eventually demonstrated his innocence. 80 I don’t want to tell them their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-kakalios/than-meets-the-eye-79-don-t-worry-fearless-reader-he-was-framed-and/) [James Kakalios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-kakalios/) > [I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-there-s-more-to-this-hobbit-than-meets-the-eye/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind the corpse in the reservoir, behind the ghost on the links, Behind the lady who dances and the man who madly drinks, Under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/behind-the-corpse-in-the-reservoir-behind-the-ghost-on-the-links/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I'm Fasinated by women who aren't making a great impression on people. I think there's probably something there that is more than meets the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/i-m-fasinated-by-women-who-aren-t-making-a-great-impression-on-people/) [Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/) > [There is more here than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murasaki-shikibu/there-is-more-here-than-meets-the-eye/) [Murasaki Shikibu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murasaki-shikibu/) > [“There's more to you than meets the eye”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/there-s-more-to-you-than-meets-the-eye/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/it-may-be-said-with-a-degree-of-assurance-that-not-everything-that/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [People at large are becoming more aware that there is much more to reality and to themselves than what meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/people-at-large-are-becoming-more-aware-that-there-is-much-more-to/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) ## More by Wolfgang Tillmans > [This coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Europe coming closer together, and nightlife and techno and ecstasy culture seemed like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/this-coincided-with-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-and-europe-coming/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-shapes-and-patterns-and-colors/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I think there is something very consoling in feeling lost in space but also feeling grounded, and seeing that all of this is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/i-think-there-is-something-very-consoling-in-feeling-lost-in-space/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [What most artists using photography feel that they need to do is to show that they are serious, that they are not taking snapshots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/what-most-artists-using-photography-feel-that-they-need-to-do-is-to/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [Whatever pictures are put into the world, the balance needs to be readdressed, it needs to be observed. That's why I am also really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/whatever-pictures-are-put-into-the-world-the-balance-needs-to-be/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [A photocopier is a camera in its own right. I was fortunate to grow up in the time and culture that I did. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/a-photocopier-is-a-camera-in-its-own-right-i-was-fortunate-to-grow-up/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I heard this wonderful quote - "Only the brave show what they love." It's so-embarrassing to approach somebody and say you want to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/i-heard-this-wonderful-quote-only-the-brave-show-what-they-love-it-s/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I am interested not in individual readings, but in constructing networks of images and meanings capable of reflecting the complexity of the subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/i-am-interested-not-in-individual-readings-but-in-constructing/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [Books have this function that help me to understand the work I've done, to wrap it up. Once it's done, fortunately, it doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/books-have-this-function-that-help-me-to-understand-the-work-i-ve/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [For me, a good portrait shows the fragility and humility of the person, and at the same time a strength, a resting in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/for-me-a-good-portrait-shows-the-fragility-and-humility-of-the-person/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I want the pictures to be working in both directions. I accept that they speak about me, and yet at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/i-want-the-pictures-to-be-working-in-both-directions-i-accept-that/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [This ongoing coexistence which makes life sensational. The eyes have this ability to flip around what they see from one second to another, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/this-ongoing-coexistence-which-makes-life-sensational-the-eyes-have/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [My staged work looks so real that people actually take it for documentary. But, in fact, that is my intention, to disguise the manufacturedness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/my-staged-work-looks-so-real-that-people-actually-take-it-for/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [For example, you now look at pictures from 1968, they are hugely misleading in terms of standing in as an absolute image of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/for-example-you-now-look-at-pictures-from-1968-they-are-hugely/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [Now there is such a closed loop between realness and commercialism that one has to question why do more and more and more of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/now-there-is-such-a-closed-loop-between-realness-and-commercialism/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) [Explore all 43 Wolfgang Tillmans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is this looking at the world as shapes and patterns and colors that have meaning, and you can't deny the superficial because the superficial is what meets the eye. 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