I wanted to deal with light directly rather than with paint.
James TurrellRead
I feel that I want to use light as this wonderful and magic elixir that we drink as Vitamin D through the skin - and I mean, we are literally light-eaters - to then affect the way that we see.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the transformative power of light in influencing our perception and experience of reality.
In this quote, James Turrell expresses the idea that light is not just a physical phenomenon but also a vital element that shapes our perception of the world. He compares light to 'Vitamin D' that nourishes us and suggests that our interaction with light can profoundly enhance our awareness and understanding, likening it to a magical substance that influences our experiences and perceptions.
Themes
LightPerceptionExperienceArtTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
In a gallery discussion about the impact of light in art installations.
More from James Turrell
All quotes →It is only when light is reduced that the pupil opens and feeling goes out of the eyes like touch.
James TurrellRead
In many cases, if we knew what it would take, we might have thought twice about it, so it's often wonderful that we don't have hindsight.
James TurrellRead
There are different stages when you fly. The first stage is the dollhouse effect, seeing everything on Earth like it's a model. Suddenly, all of your concerns seem very small.
James TurrellRead
Space has a way of looking. It seems like it has a presence of vision. When you come into it, it is there, it’s been waiting for you.
James TurrellRead
I'm known as a light artist. But rather than be someone who depicted light, or painted light in some way, I wanted to have the work be light.
James TurrellRead
Similar quotes
The job of a storyteller is to speak the truth. But what we feel most deeply can’t be spoken in words alone. At this level, only images connect. And here, story becomes symbol; symbol is myth. And myth is truth.
Alan GarnerRead
Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
Nina SimoneRead
That sculpture is more admirable than painting for the reason that it contains relief and painting does not is completely false. ... Rather, how much more admirable the painting must be considered, if having no relief at all, it appears to have as much as sculpture!
Galileo GalileiRead
There are some experiences in life which should not be demanded twice from any man, and one of them is listening to the Brahms Requiem.
George Bernard ShawRead
I never paid attention to what was contemporary or what was commercial, it didn't mean anything to me.
Van MorrisonRead
There comes a point at which you stop writing and think all the more
Gustave FlaubertRead