We look at a painting to know the painter; it's his company we are after, not his skill.
James WhistlerRead
To say of a picture, as is often said in its praise, that it shows great and earnest labour, is to say that it is incomplete and unfit for view.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A picture should be admired for its beauty rather than for the effort put into creating it.
James Whistler critiques the idea that a painting is commendable merely for the effort and labor that went into its creation. He suggests that true artistry should lead to a completed, visually pleasing work rather than a piece that suggests struggle and labor without delivering aesthetic value.
Themes
ArtCreativityBeautyEffortExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In an art critique, one might refer to Whistlerβs quote to emphasize the importance of aesthetic value over just hard work.
More from James Whistler
All quotes βI maintain that two and two would continue to make four, in spite of the whine of the amateur for three, or the cry of the critic for five.
James WhistlerRead
To say to the painter that Nature is to be taken as she is, is to say to the player that he may sit on the piano.
James WhistlerRead
An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.
James WhistlerRead
Art happens-no hovel is safe from it, no prince may depend upon it, the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about.
James WhistlerRead
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