Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.
Edgar DegasRead
The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he must make others see. Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. A picture is first of all a product of the imagination of the artist; it must never be a copy. If then two or three natural accents can be added, obviously no harm is done. The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art is an expression of the artist's imagination rather than a mere replication of reality.
In this quote, Edgar Degas emphasizes that true artistry stems from the artist's inner vision and creativity, rather than simply depicting the external world as it is. He suggests that genuine artistic expression allows for imagination to flourish, and that the painter's subconscious plays a crucial role in creating impactful art, which transcends mere imitation and invites viewers to see beyond the obvious.
Themes
ArtImaginationCreativityExpressionVision
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education, one might reference this quote to emphasize imaginative thinking.
More from Edgar Degas
All quotes →No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.
Edgar DegasRead
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.
Edgar DegasRead
It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory.
Edgar DegasRead
The Dance instills in you something that sets you apart. Something heroic and remote.
Edgar DegasRead
You have to have a high conception, not of what you are doing, but of what you may do one day: without that, there's no point in working.
Edgar DegasRead
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