I've been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas. I just think about it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He jokes about abstract painting that consists of nothing but thought, poking fun at the extreme minimalism in art.
- In plain terms
- He does ‘extremely abstract’ painting with no brush, paint, or canvas—just thinking.
- What can you take from it?
- Art can be reduced to pure imagination, highlighting the pretentiousness of some avant‑garde claims.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does artistic minimalism become a joke?
- How does self‑parody affect perceptions of art?
Another view
The joke may be lost on those unfamiliar with contemporary art discourse.
More from Steven Wright
In my new house there's a switch on the wall that doesn't do anything, so for fun I'd just flick it up and down, over and over. Then one day I got a letter fro…
Permalink to quote #110 I've been getting into astronomy, so I installed a skylight. The people that live above me are furious.
Permalink to quote #112 Imagine how deep the sea would be if there weren't any sponges.
Permalink to quote #109
Related quotes
Are we not men? We are DEVO!
DevoDevo quote #2 Ikenobo Sen'o, a master of flower arranging, once said (the remark is to be found in his Sayings): 'With a spray of flowers, a bit of water, one evokes the vas…
Yasunari KawabataYasunari Kawabata quote #16 Comedy is a game played to throw reflections upon social life, and it deals with human nature in the drawing-room of civilized men and women, where we have no …
George MeredithGeorge Meredith quote #36