An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all... feeling is the principle, the beginning and the end; craft, objective, technique - all these are in the middle.
The landscape thinks itself in me and I am its consciousness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cézanne expresses the deep connection between the artist and the landscape, suggesting that he perceives and embodies the essence of nature through his consciousness.
In this quote, Paul Cézanne reflects on the intrinsic relationship between the artist and the natural world. He suggests that the landscapes he paints are not just objects to be represented, but they resonate with his own being and consciousness. This introspection reveals how an artist interprets their environment, making it a part of their identity and creative expression.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During an art class, a teacher might reference this quote to illustrate the personal connection artists have with their subjects.
More from Paul Cezanne
All quotes →Taste is the best judge. It is rare. Art only addresses itself to an excessively small number of individuals.
Monet is only an eye, but my God, what an eye!
If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of the soul.
I lack the magnificent richness of color that animates nature.
Pure drawing is an abstraction. Drawing and colour are not distinct, everything in nature is coloured.
Similar quotes
I love singing jazz. I don't like the idea that classical music should be over here and jazz should be someplace else. It's all wonderful, and we should be open to enjoying it all.
It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.
Poetry is that / which arrives at the intellect / by way of the heart.
Music is the one part of the entertainment business where you can't fool anybody into buying a record.
There's no great mystique to photography. A lot of photographers like to put their hands up to their forehead and tell you how they've suffered and so forth. Well, I just rent a car and drive to the place and take the pictures.
I really, really enjoy fitting words together - but I only enjoy it when it's easy, when it sort of rolls along by itself. I never erase anything [and] I hardly ever write anything down... The song will be finished before I write it down... I won't write a song unless it serves me in some way, unless I feel I have to write the song to make myself feel better. If you're not overflowing with something, there's nothing to give.