--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I paint a person, his enemies always…" description: "\"When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.\" — Edvard Munch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png" --- # When I paint a person, his enemies always find the… ![“When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.” quote by Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png) > “When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.” [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 artist suggests that truth in representation reveals hidden animosities, making the subject’s foes see themselves reflected. **In simple terms:** Portraits can expose hidden conflicts. Key Takeaway Consider how honest depictions affect relationships. Themes art perception conflict truth Mood reflective provocative Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - political satire - media criticism Key Concepts psychology symbolism identity Questions to Reflect On - How does honesty in art affect the viewer? - Can a portrait change power dynamics? A Different Perspective May be misinterpreted or cause unintended offense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Enemies Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-portrait-4373896/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Good Likeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-likeness-1303765/) [Likeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likeness/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait/) [Portrait Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait-good-2999338/) ## Related quotes > [What is a portrait good for, unless it shows just how the subject was seen by the painter? In the old days before photography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-beardsley/what-is-a-portrait-good-for-unless-it-shows-just-how-the-subject-was/) [Aubrey Beardsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-beardsley/) > [“He walked back into the living room, looking again at the illuminated photo of the man with the brown beard and long hair. “Who’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/he-walked-back-into-the-living-room-looking-again-at-the-illuminated/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [What's that supposed to be anyway?" said Fred squinting at Dobby's painting. "Looks like a Gibbon with two black eyes!" "It's Harry," said George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-s-that-supposed-to-be-anyway-said-fred-squinting-at-dobby-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The explanation of the propensity of the English people to portrait painting is to be found in their relish for a Fact. Let a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/the-explanation-of-the-propensity-of-the-english-people-to-portrait/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [Andre Breton once said that a portrait should not only be an image but an oracle one questions, and that the photographer's aim should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/andre-breton-once-said-that-a-portrait-should-not-only-be-an-image/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/a-portrait-is-not-a-likeness-the-moment-an-emotion-or-fact-is/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Genesis’ saying that we are made in the likeness of God does not mean that God looks a little like us, with a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/genesis-saying-that-we-are-made-in-the-likeness-of-god-does-not-mean/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [“The necessary unlikeness between the creator and the created holds within it the equally necessary likeness of the thing made to him who makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-necessary-unlikeness-between-the-creator-and-the-created-holds/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [What we know about Cleopatra's looks is based purely on her coin portraits. Engraving was imperfect, and that when you are a ruler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/what-we-know-about-cleopatra-s-looks-is-based-purely-on-her-coin/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Your own self, your personality and existence are reflected within the mind of each of the people whom you meet, ... into a likeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/your-own-self-your-personality-and-existence-are-reflected-within-the/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [“The more time you spend with God, the more you will resemble Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-more-time-you-spend-with-god-the-more-you-will-resemble-him/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or a scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-man-becomes-creative-whether-he-is-an-artist-or-a-scientist-when-he/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fantasy-remains-a-human-right-we-make-in-our-measure-and-in-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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": "When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edvard Munch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always-find-the-portrait-a-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always-find-the-portrait-a-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/edvard-munch-8669_artist_when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always_1316632.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.” — 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": "When I paint a person, his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always-find-the-portrait-a-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always-find-the-portrait-a-good/#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 } } ] } ```