A bit of advice, don't copy nature too closely. Art is an abstraction; as you dream amid nature, extrapolate art from it, and concentrate on what you will create as a result.
Paul GauguinRead
A hint - don't paint too much direct from nature. Art is an abstraction! study nature then brood on it and treasure the creation which will result, which is the only way to ascend towards God - to create like our Divine Master.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of interpreting nature creatively rather than simply copying it.
Paul Gauguin expresses the idea that true art transcends mere imitation of nature. Instead, artists should study the beauty of the natural world and then reflect upon it to create something original that embodies deeper meaning, much like a divine creation. This process of abstraction leads to a higher understanding and connection with the divine.
Themes
ArtNatureAbstractionCreativityDivinity
In practice
Example use cases
During an art workshop, one might say this quote to inspire participants to explore their own interpretations of nature.
More from Paul Gauguin
All quotes βA critic in my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings? Never! They are my letters, my secrets.
Paul GauguinRead
Life has no meaning unless one lives it with a will, at least to the limit of one's will. Virtue, good, evil are nothing but words, unless one takes them apart in order to build something with them; they do not win their true meaning until one knows how to apply them.
Paul GauguinRead
The flat sound of my wooden clogs on the cobblestones, deep, hollow and powerful, is the note I seek in my painting.
Paul GauguinRead
Art is either plagiarism or revolution.
Paul GauguinRead
Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. Otherwise, what would become of beauty?
Paul GauguinRead
Similar quotes
The sunflower is mine, in a way.
Vincent Van GoghRead
Acting is all about relating to the people on stage with you, even in plays that break the fourth wall. Clowning, for the most part, is the opposite. If somebody in the audience sneezes, I can count on it: I don't even have to look at Shiner; he'll have his handkerchief out. It's all about all of us in the room together.
Bill IrwinRead
Writing is the art of repeating oneself without anyone noticing.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead
I would like to be a one-man multinational fashion phenomenon.
Karl LagerfeldRead
This is the gift all writers seek-to write language that incandesces yet does not melt.
Lawrence Clark PowellRead
It's an honor putting art above politics. Politics can be seductive in terms of things reductive to the soul.
Robert RedfordRead