--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Death is pitch-dark, but colors are…" description: "\"Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.\" — Edvard Munch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png" --- # Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a… ![“Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.” quote by Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png) > “Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.” [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts darkness of death with the illumination of color, suggesting artists transform mortality into visual light. **In simple terms:** Death is dark, art brings light. Key Takeaway Use creativity to illuminate bleakness. Themes art mortality light color Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - painting - grief processing - creative workshops Key Concepts symbolism existentialism visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How can you use art to face personal darkness? - What colors represent hope for you? A Different Perspective Art cannot erase death, only reinterpret it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-painter-878291/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-work-888299/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Rays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays/) ## Related quotes > [The thinker requires exactly the same light as the painter, clear, without direct sunshine, or blinding reflection, and, where possible, from above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/the-thinker-requires-exactly-the-same-light-as-the-painter-clear/) [August Wilhelm von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [There are different paths that one can pursue as a painter. I work with the thesis that I have not as yet reached my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorg-immendorff/there-are-different-paths-that-one-can-pursue-as-a-painter-i-work/) [Jorg Immendorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorg-immendorff/) > [The unity in any painter's work arises from the fact that a person, brought to a desperate situation, will behave in a certain way...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/the-unity-in-any-painter-s-work-arises-from-the-fact-that-a-person/) [Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/) > [“Keith Haring wrote " You see that's why I work like a dog and I worked like a dog all my life. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/keith-haring-wrote-you-see-that-s-why-i-work-like-a-dog-and-i-worked/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Time extracts various values from a painter's work. When these values are exhausted the pictures are forgotten, and the more a picture has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/time-extracts-various-values-from-a-painter-s-work-when-these-values/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I don't want to put myself in any kind of a box as far as my sound goes, because being an artist is fluid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-combs/i-don-t-want-to-put-myself-in-any-kind-of-a-box-as-far-as-my-sound/) [Luke Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-combs/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Old age doth in sharp pains abound; We are belabored by the gout, Our blindness is a dark profound, Our deafness each one laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-age-doth-in-sharp-pains-abound-we-are-belabored-by-the-gout-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wanted to be a painter and an artist. And it's interesting that in some of my later musical works, I refer so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunther-schuller/i-wanted-to-be-a-painter-and-an-artist-and-it-s-interesting-that-in/) [Gunther Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunther-schuller/) > [I've gradually fooled myself into becoming a real painter... I really just like to sit in my air-conditioned Rome painting studio surrounded by Medieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kostabi/i-ve-gradually-fooled-myself-into-becoming-a-real-painter-i-really/) [Mark Kostabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kostabi/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-went-to-natchitoches-la-it-was-summer/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [It's different if you're a painter. You can hidethe ones that don't work. You can't do that with movies. They tellthe story of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/it-s-different-if-you-re-a-painter-you-can-hidethe-ones-that-don-t/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [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/) ## More by Edvard Munch > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [For as long as I can remember I have suffered from a deep feeling of anxiety which I have tried to express in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-suffered-from-a-deep-feeling-of/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The Academies of Art are nothing but great painting factories - those with talent are fed in at one end, and they come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-academies-of-art-are-nothing-but-great-painting-factories-those/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I was walking along a road one evening – on one side lay the city, and below me was the fjord. The sun went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-a-road-one-evening-on-one-side-lay-the-city-and/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set. I felt a tinge of melancholy. Suddenly the sky became a bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-the-road-with-two-friends-the-sun-set-i-felt-a/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The notes I have made are not a diary in the ordinary sense, but partly lengthy records of my spiritual experiences, and partly poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-notes-i-have-made-are-not-a-diary-in-the-ordinary-sense-but/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [A work of art comes only from inside a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/a-work-of-art-comes-only-from-inside-a-human-being/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [I sense a scream passing through nature. I painted ... the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-sense-a-scream-passing-through-nature-i-painted-the-clouds-as/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Youth must go ahead and prosper. These young painters are all very talented people, but they all paint frescoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/youth-must-go-ahead-and-prosper-these-young-painters-are-all-very/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [ But can they \[great works\] get rid of the worm that lies gnawing at the roots of my heart? No, never. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/but-can-they-great-works-get-rid-of-the-worm-that-lies-gnawing-at-the/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-fear-of-life-is-necessary-to-me-as-is-my-illness-without-anxiety/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [It would be quite amusing to preach a bit to all those people who for many years now have been looking at our paintings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-would-be-quite-amusing-to-preach-a-bit-to-all-those-people-who-for/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The viewers must come to understand the sacredness of painting, so they will remove their hats as if they were in church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-viewers-must-come-to-understand-the-sacredness-of-painting-so/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The way one sees is also dependent upon one's emotional state of mind. This is why a motif can be looked at in so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-way-one-sees-is-also-dependent-upon-one-s-emotional-state-of-mind/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [It is better to have a good painting with ten holes than ten bad paintings without any holes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-is-better-to-have-a-good-painting-with-ten-holes-than-ten-bad/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) [Explore all 79 Edvard Munch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) ## 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": "Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edvard Munch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light-to-be-a-painter-one-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light-to-be-a-painter-one-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a39/edvard-munch-8669_artist_death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light_2726929.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.” — Edvard Munch", "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": "Edvard Munch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Death is pitch-dark, but colors are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light-to-be-a-painter-one-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light-to-be-a-painter-one-must/#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 } } ] } ```