--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man cannot paint portraits till he has…" description: "\"A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces.\" — Christian Nestell Bovee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png" --- # A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces. ![“A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces.” quote by Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png) > “A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces.” [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True artistic skill requires direct experience; one must see subjects to depict them authentically. **In simple terms:** Artists need real experience. Key Takeaway Seek real exposure before creating. Themes art experience authenticity Mood thoughtful inspirational Type creative educational When to use this quote - painting - writing - design - photography Key Concepts creativity observation Questions to Reflect On - What experiences have shaped your work? - Can observation replace practice? A Different Perspective Experience alone may not guarantee skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [People don't have time to wait for somebody to paint their portraits anymore. The money is in photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/people-don-t-have-time-to-wait-for-somebody-to-paint-their-portraits/) [Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/) > [I hate to paint portraits! I hope never to paint another portrait in my life. Portraiture may be all right for a man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/i-hate-to-paint-portraits-i-hope-never-to-paint-another-portrait-in/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [I do not care to paint portraits indoors. I cannot feel sympathetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-sorolla/i-do-not-care-to-paint-portraits-indoors-i-cannot-feel-sympathetic/) [Joaquin Sorolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-sorolla/) > [I never wanted to be commissioned to paint portraits. I like to choose my own subject and make a character study from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dobell/i-never-wanted-to-be-commissioned-to-paint-portraits-i-like-to-choose/) [William Dobell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dobell/) > [I think I was driven to paint portraits to commit images of friends and family to memory. I have face blindness, and once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-think-i-was-driven-to-paint-portraits-to-commit-images-of-friends/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“You see, the catch about portrait painting— I've looked into the thing a bit— is that you can't start painting portraits till people come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/you-see-the-catch-about-portrait-painting-i-ve-looked-into-the-thing/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [“He did not alarm her, for she thought she had seen him before in the faces of many women who have no children. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-barrie/he-did-not-alarm-her-for-she-thought-she-had-seen-him-before-in-the/) [J.M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-barrie/) > [I had seen faces in photographs I might have found beautiful had I known even vaguely in what beauty was supposed to consist. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-had-seen-faces-in-photographs-i-might-have-found-beautiful-had-i/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“She'd seen them them all before, those faces. She knew them all, knew the sound of their voices, sounds mired in human emotions, sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/she-d-seen-them-them-all-before-those-faces-she-knew-them-all-knew/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [I've turned up to auditions and seen faces that I recognise and I think I know them. Then I realise I know them because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/i-ve-turned-up-to-auditions-and-seen-faces-that-i-recognise-and-i/) [Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/) > [I have never seen faces, but because I have looked people in the eye, only their gazes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schoenberg/i-have-never-seen-faces-but-because-i-have-looked-people-in-the-eye/) [Arnold Schoenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schoenberg/) > [Kenneth Hari does not paint portraits as they are but as he is. I feel he is hiding something from me. To board a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/kenneth-hari-does-not-paint-portraits-as-they-are-but-as-he-is-i-feel/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [As a boy, I used to look at reproductions of Rembrandt's portraits... the people in his paintings were so real I felt I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/as-a-boy-i-used-to-look-at-reproductions-of-rembrandt-s-portraits-the/) [David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/) > [I paint German artists whom I admire. I paint their pictures, their work as painters, and their portraits too. But oddly enough, each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-paint-german-artists-whom-i-admire-i-paint-their-pictures-their/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) ## More by Christian Nestell Bovee > [What is taken from the fortune, also, may haply be so much lifted from the soul. The greatness of a loss, as the proverb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/what-is-taken-from-the-fortune-also-may-haply-be-so-much-lifted-from/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [The next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to be able to quote another's wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-next-best-thing-to-being-witty-one-s-self-is-to-be-able-to-be/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-ceremonious-bows-that-repel-one-like-a-cudgel/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [There are some weaknesses that are peculiar and distinctive to generous characters, as freckles are to a fair skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-some-weaknesses-that-are-peculiar-and-distinctive-to/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [A genuine passion is like a mountain stream; it admits of no impediment; it cannot go backward; it must go forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-genuine-passion-is-like-a-mountain-stream-it-admits-of-no/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Our courage is greater to dare a visible than an imagined danger. A visible danger rouses our energies to meet or avert it; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/our-courage-is-greater-to-dare-a-visible-than-an-imagined-danger-a/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [A good thought is indeed a great boon, for which God is to be first thanked; next he who is the first to utter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-good-thought-is-indeed-a-great-boon-for-which-god-is-to-be-first/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [We should not so much esteem our poverty as a misfortune, were it not that the world treats it so much as a crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/we-should-not-so-much-esteem-our-poverty-as-a-misfortune-were-it-not/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [He has but one great fear that fears to do wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/he-has-but-one-great-fear-that-fears-to-do-wrong/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Six traits of effective leaders: 1. Make others feel important 2. Promote a vision 3. Follow the golden rule 4. Admit mistakes 5. Criticize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/six-traits-of-effective-leaders-1-make-others-feel-important-2/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [In a contest with a weaker party it is more honorable to yield than to force concession. Magnanimity becomes the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/in-a-contest-with-a-weaker-party-it-is-more-honorable-to-yield-than/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Wit is better as a seasoning than as a whole dish by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/wit-is-better-as-a-seasoning-than-as-a-whole-dish-by-itself/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [To cultivate a garden is. . . to go hand in hand with Nature in some of her most beautiful processes, to learn something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/to-cultivate-a-garden-is-to-go-hand-in-hand-with-nature-in-some-of/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [It is with a company as it is with a punch, everything depends upon the ingredients of which it in composed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/it-is-with-a-company-as-it-is-with-a-punch-everything-depends-upon/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [It is not the number of facts he knows, but how much of a fact he is himself, that proves the man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/it-is-not-the-number-of-facts-he-knows-but-how-much-of-a-fact-he-is/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) [Explore all 310 Christian Nestell Bovee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) ## 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": "A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian Nestell Bovee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has-seen-faces/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has-seen-faces/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afa/christian-nestell-bovee-1003_artist_a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has_2474265.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man cannot paint portraits till he has seen faces.” — Christian Nestell Bovee", "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": "Christian Nestell Bovee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man cannot paint portraits till...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has-seen-faces/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/a-man-cannot-paint-portraits-till-he-has-seen-faces/#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 } } ] } ```