---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a painter myself... whenever I…"
description: "\"Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with architectural precision, I indulged in the picturesque, in which case I sacrificed a few detai..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg"
---

#  Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with…

![“Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with architectural precision, I indulged in the picturesque, in which case I sacrificed a few details when necessary in favor of an imposing effect that would give a monument its real character and also preserve the poetic charm that surrounds it.” quote by Charles Negre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg)

> “Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with architectural precision, I indulged in the picturesque, in which case I sacrificed a few details when necessary in favor of an imposing effect that would give a monument its real character and also preserve the poetic charm that surrounds it.”

[Charles Negre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-negre/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The artist prioritizes overall impact over exact detail, sacrificing precision for a stronger, poetic impression.

**In simple terms:** Choose impact over exactness for stronger effect.

Key Takeaway

Embrace artistic compromise for greater effect.

Themes

art poetry impressionism

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- architectural design
- painting
- urban planning
- visual storytelling

Key Concepts

aesthetic balance visual impact creative compromise

Questions to Reflect On

- When should detail be preserved?
- How does compromise shape perception?

A Different Perspective

Over‑emphasis on effect may blur essential information.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architectural Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architectural-precision-3479951/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Favors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favors/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Imposing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imposing/) [Indulged Picturesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indulged-picturesque-3479949/) [Monument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monument/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Picturesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picturesque/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Poetic Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic-charm-3479950/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-character/) [Sacrificed Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrificed-details-3479952/) [Surround](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surround/)

## Related quotes

> [I do not always find the streets interesting, so I wait until I see picturesque groups and those that compose well in relation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/childe-hassam/i-do-not-always-find-the-streets-interesting-so-i-wait-until-i-see/)

[Childe Hassam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/childe-hassam/)

> [I know exaggerators of both kinds: people whose lies are only picturesque adjectives, and people whose picturesque adjectives are only lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/i-know-exaggerators-of-both-kinds-people-whose-lies-are-only/)

[Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/)

> [This is the beauty of Rajasthan; everything is so picturesque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-penty/this-is-the-beauty-of-rajasthan-everything-is-so-picturesque/)

[Diana Penty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-penty/)

> [Neither realism nor romance furnishes a more striking and picturesque figure than that of Christopher Columbus. The mystery about his origin heightens the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/neither-realism-nor-romance-furnishes-a-more-striking-and-picturesque/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The poor are always ragged and dirty, in very picturesque clothes, and on their poor shoes lies the earth of the Lacustrine period. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-e-w-sherwood/the-poor-are-always-ragged-and-dirty-in-very-picturesque-clothes-and/)

[M. E. W. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-e-w-sherwood/)

> [I don't like to be described as a Southern writer. The danger is, if you're described as a Southern writer, you might be thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/i-don-t-like-to-be-described-as-a-southern-writer-the-danger-is-if/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

> [But wise men pierce this rotten diction and fasten words again to visible things; so that picturesque language is at once a commanding certificate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/but-wise-men-pierce-this-rotten-diction-and-fasten-words-again-to/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Rome is stately and impressive; Florence is all beauty and enchantment; Genoa is picturesque; Venice is a dream city; but Naples is simply --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-whiting/rome-is-stately-and-impressive-florence-is-all-beauty-and-enchantment/)

[Lilian Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-whiting/)

> [We admire Chaucer for his sturdy English wit… But though it is full of good sense and humanity, it is not transcendent poetry.For picturesque…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-admire-chaucer-for-his-sturdy-english-wit-but-though-it-is-full-of/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [In one of the Welsh counties is a small village called A-----. It is somewhat removed from the high road, and is, therefore, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-one-of-the-welsh-counties-is-a-small-village-called-a-it-is/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [It is not just that animals make the world more scenic or picturesque. The lives of animals are woven into our very being -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-kowalski/it-is-not-just-that-animals-make-the-world-more-scenic-or-picturesque/)

[Gary A. Kowalski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-kowalski/)

> [Arles is certainly one of the most interesting towns I have ever seen, whether viewed as a place remarkable for the objects of antiquity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/arles-is-certainly-one-of-the-most-interesting-towns-i-have-ever-seen/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is not without trepidation that I have appropriated the codes of the Sublime and the Picturesque in my work. After all, serious photographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pfahl/it-is-not-without-trepidation-that-i-have-appropriated-the-codes-of/)

[John Pfahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pfahl/)

> [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/perspective-as-its-inventor-remarked-is-a-beautiful-thing-what/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Never was there a dingier, uglier, less picturesque city than London ... it is really wonderful that so much brick and stone, for centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/never-was-there-a-dingier-uglier-less-picturesque-city-than-london-it/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## More by Charles Negre

> [If art is the poetic interpretation of nature, photography is the exact translation; it is exactitude in art or the complement of art. (1854)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/if-art-is-the-poetic-interpretation-of-nature-photography-is-the/)

[Charles Negre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-negre/)

> [Photography does not form a separate, barren field of art. It is only a means of execution, uniform, rapid and sure, which serves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/photography-does-not-form-a-separate-barren-field-of-art-it-is-only-a/)

[Charles Negre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-negre/)

[Explore all 3 Charles Negre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-negre/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with architectural precision, I indulged in the picturesque, in which case I sacrificed a few details when necessary in favor of an imposing effect that would give a monument its real character and also preserve the poetic charm that surrounds it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Negre"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could-dispense-with-architectural/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could-dispense-with-architectural/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/charles-negre-80194_cases_being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could_1994953.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Being a painter myself... whenever I could dispense with architectural precision, I indulged in the…” — Charles Negre",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Negre",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-negre/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Being a painter myself... whenever I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could-dispense-with-architectural/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-negre/being-a-painter-myself-whenever-i-could-dispense-with-architectural/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
