--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to make beautiful paintings. But I…" description: "\"I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/albert-oehlen-73144_artist_i-want-to-make-beautiful-paintings-but-i_3012577.jpg" --- # I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make… ![“I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't work. I expect my paintings to be strong and surprising.” quote by Albert Oehlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/albert-oehlen-73144_artist_i-want-to-make-beautiful-paintings-but-i_3012577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/albert-oehlen-73144_artist_i-want-to-make-beautiful-paintings-but-i_3012577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/albert-oehlen-73144_artist_i-want-to-make-beautiful-paintings-but-i_3012577.jpg) > “I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't work. I expect my paintings to be strong and surprising.” Albert Oehlen ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating compelling art requires depth and surprise, not just aesthetic appeal. **In simple terms:** Beauty alone isn’t enough for art. Key Takeaway Seek depth and unexpected impact. Themes art creativity innovation Mood provocative inquisitive Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery curation - creative workshops - public installations Key Concepts aesthetic theory surprise artistic risk Questions to Reflect On - What makes a painting truly surprising? - How can you balance beauty and depth? A Different Perspective Risky experimentation may alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beautiful paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-paintings/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Motifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motifs/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [So long as people expect paintings to be simply coloured photographs they get no individuality and, in the case of portraits, no characterisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dobell/so-long-as-people-expect-paintings-to-be-simply-coloured-photographs/) [William Dobell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dobell/) > [To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-motherwell/to-end-up-with-a-canvas-that-is-no-less-beautiful-than-the-empty/) [Robert Motherwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-motherwell/) > [When I write, there's always an image, sometimes a color attached to what's being created. 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Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [I love putting paint on canvas, getting lost in the process of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simonon/i-love-putting-paint-on-canvas-getting-lost-in-the-process-of-painting/) [Paul Simonon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simonon/) > [You just don't know when you get all the paint across the canvas how it will turn out. When you step back after you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/you-just-don-t-know-when-you-get-all-the-paint-across-the-canvas-how/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [“Paint the canvas of your dreams with the blood of your sweat. You are the Picasso of your own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/paint-the-canvas-of-your-dreams-with-the-blood-of-your-sweat-you-are/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [It is the custom of Venice to paint on canvas, either because it does not split and is not worm-eaten, or because pictures can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-vasari/it-is-the-custom-of-venice-to-paint-on-canvas-either-because-it-does/) [Giorgio Vasari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-vasari/) > [Sometimes, in a portrait, I go straight in with paint onto canvas... Other than riding my bike up and down the hills around here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/sometimes-in-a-portrait-i-go-straight-in-with-paint-onto-canvas-other/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) > [It's not just a boring exercise in pushing oil paint around a canvas. 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He said I dream my paintings and then I paint my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/van-gogh-was-asked-how-he-created-such-beautiful-paintings-he-said-i/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [People go to see beautiful paintings to see how much they cost. Wow. The practical value is that it shows you what the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/people-go-to-see-beautiful-paintings-to-see-how-much-they-cost-wow/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) ## More by Albert Oehlen > [I'm not a big theory person. So when I get asked questions that demand serious statements, I just make it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-oehlen/i-m-not-a-big-theory-person-so-when-i-get-asked-questions-that-demand/) Albert Oehlen > [I painted with acrylic paint, and the reason why I went to oil was mainly because I didn't control it. I was looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-oehlen/i-painted-with-acrylic-paint-and-the-reason-why-i-went-to-oil-was/) Albert Oehlen > [If someone stands in front of one of my paintings and says, 'This is just a mess', the word 'just' is not so good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-oehlen/if-someone-stands-in-front-of-one-of-my-paintings-and-says-this-is/) Albert Oehlen Explore all 4 Albert Oehlen quotes ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't work. 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