--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The artist does not draw what he sees…" description: "\"The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he must make others see. Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/edgar-degas-4615_accents_the-artist-does-not-draw-what-he-sees-bu_3155100.png" --- # The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he must… ![“The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he must make others see. Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. A picture is first of all a product of the imagination of the artist; it must never be a copy. If then two or three natural accents can be added…” quote by Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/edgar-degas-4615_accents_the-artist-does-not-draw-what-he-sees-bu_3155100.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/edgar-degas-4615_accents_the-artist-does-not-draw-what-he-sees-bu_3155100.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1db/edgar-degas-4615_accents_the-artist-does-not-draw-what-he-sees-bu_3155100.png) > “The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he must make others see. Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. A picture is first of all a product of the imagination of the artist; it must never be a copy. If then two or three natural accents can be added, obviously no harm is done. The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.” [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art should evoke imagination, not merely replicate sight; true creativity arises beyond conscious control. **In simple terms:** Art imagines beyond sight. Key Takeaway Embrace intuition. Themes art imagination creativity perception intuition Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - painting - sculpture - design - teaching Key Concepts aesthetic theory expressive realism Questions to Reflect On - When does intuition guide better than technique? - How to balance observation and imagination? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on realism can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/the-air-we-see-in-the-paintings-of-the-old-masters-is-never-the-air/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/only-when-he-no-longer-knows-what-he-is-doing-does-the-painter-do/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Only two of my personalities are schizophrenic, but one of them is paranoid and the other one is out to get him. Only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/only-two-of-my-personalities-are-schizophrenic-but-one-of-them-is/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [The heaping together of paintings by Old Masters in museums is a catastrophe; likewise, a collection of a hundred Great Brains makes one big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-heaping-together-of-paintings-by-old-masters-in-museums-is-a/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Jerry Garcia used to take his paints on the road. I don't do that. Either I'm a singer or a painter. I'm not good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/jerry-garcia-used-to-take-his-paints-on-the-road-i-don-t-do-that/) [Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/) > [I used to paint and I used to draw, and I probably would have loved to have been a portrait painter if I'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-used-to-paint-and-i-used-to-draw-and-i-probably-would-have-loved-to/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“when the Lord built the world he furrowed his brow calculated calculated calculated that is why the world is perfect and uninhabitable instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-herbert/when-the-lord-built-the-world-he-furrowed-his-brow-calculated/) [Zbigniew Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-herbert/) > [It takes a long time to make a painter - even with a good artist's education - but without one it tries the patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/it-takes-a-long-time-to-make-a-painter-even-with-a-good-artist-s/) [Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/) > [The artist does not draw what he sees, but what he has to make others see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/the-artist-does-not-draw-what-he-sees-but-what-he-has-to-make-others/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [“They’re all daubers, today’s painters; they’ve completely lost touch with the classical tradition, the subtle, noble craft of the old masters. They muddle along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-hertmans/they-re-all-daubers-today-s-painters-they-ve-completely-lost-touch/) Stefan Hertmans > [Know what the old masters did. Know how they composed their pictures, but do not fall into the conventions they established. These conventions were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/know-what-the-old-masters-did-know-how-they-composed-their-pictures/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [I studied shades, textures by painting after the Old Masters, the classical European paintings, as part of my educational process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-studied-shades-textures-by-painting-after-the-old-masters-the/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [There are two very different types of artists: those I call Old Masters, who work by trial and error and tend to improve with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-galenson/there-are-two-very-different-types-of-artists-those-i-call-old/) [David Galenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-galenson/) > [Many of the old masters of watercolour painted from notes, with enthusiasm either unabated or renewed. It is hard to assume the same degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/many-of-the-old-masters-of-watercolour-painted-from-notes-with/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [I prefer the old masters, by which I mean John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-prefer-the-old-masters-by-which-i-mean-john-ford-john-ford-and-john/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) ## More by Edgar Degas > [There are some women who should barely be spoken to; they should only be caressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/there-are-some-women-who-should-barely-be-spoken-to-they-should-only/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/the-air-we-see-in-the-paintings-of-the-old-masters-is-never-the-air/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Even in front of nature one must compose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/even-in-front-of-nature-one-must-compose/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Art is vice. One does not wed it, one rapes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/art-is-vice-one-does-not-wed-it-one-rapes-it/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-a-delightful-thing-is-the-conversation-of-specialists-one/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Instantaneity is photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/instantaneity-is-photography/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Women can never forgive me; they hate me, they feel that I am disarming them. I show them without their coquetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/women-can-never-forgive-me-they-hate-me-they-feel-that-i-am-disarming/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [In painting you must give the idea of the true by means of the false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/in-painting-you-must-give-the-idea-of-the-true-by-means-of-the-false/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I would have been in mortal misery all my life for fear my wife might say, 'That's a pretty little thing,' after I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-would-have-been-in-mortal-misery-all-my-life-for-fear-my-wife-might/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Great patience is called for on the hard path that I have entered on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/great-patience-is-called-for-on-the-hard-path-that-i-have-entered-on/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [There is too much talk and gossip; pictures are apparently made, like stock-market prices, by competition of people eager for profits... All this traffic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/there-is-too-much-talk-and-gossip-pictures-are-apparently-made-like/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [What is certain is that setting a piece of nature in place and drawing it are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-is-certain-is-that-setting-a-piece-of-nature-in-place-and/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I should like to be famous and unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/i-should-like-to-be-famous-and-unknown/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Art is really a battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/art-is-really-a-battle/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [A picture is an artificial work, outside nature. 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And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. 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