--- 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/47c/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_because_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_94628.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.” quote by Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_because_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_94628.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_because_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_94628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/wolfgang-tillmans-15537_because_there-is-this-looking-at-the-world-as-sh_94628.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.” [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. It argues that perception of the world as organized forms and hues carries intrinsic significance, and that superficial appearances are unavoidable because they are what we initially encounter. **In simple terms:** Perception reveals meaning beyond the surface. Key Takeaway Surface is the gateway to deeper insight. Themes perception meaning visual aesthetics philosophy of art subjectivity Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - art criticism - design analysis - visual storytelling - cognitive observation Key Concepts shapes colors patterns meaning Practical Applications - interpretive critique - educational workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does surface perception shape our understanding? - When might superficial judgments be misleading? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colors/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“There’s less here than meets the eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/there-s-less-here-than-meets-the-eye/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye. -Gandalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-of-the-rings/i-think-there-s-more-to-this-hobbit-than-meets-the-eye-gandalf/) [Lord Of The Rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-of-the-rings/) > [There's always another story. There's more than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-always-another-story-there-s-more-than-meets-the-eye/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is less in this than meets the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/there-is-less-in-this-than-meets-the-eye/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [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. 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If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/the-way-we-see-the-world-shapes-the-way-we-treat-it-if-a-mountain-is/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [We never shape the world . . . the world shapes us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/we-never-shape-the-world-the-world-shapes-us/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## 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/) > [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." 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And every time I do that, the rewards are so much bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/sometimes-it-takes-a-long-time-for-a-picture-to-incubate-and-every/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) [Explore all 43 Wolfgang Tillmans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) ## More Because 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/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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