--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that the great painters with…" description: "\"I believe that the great painters with their intellect as master have attempted to force this unwilling medium of paint and canvas into a record of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg" --- # I believe that the great painters with their intellect as… ![“I believe that the great painters with their intellect as master have attempted to force this unwilling medium of paint and canvas into a record of their emotions.” quote by Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg) > “I believe that the great painters with their intellect as master have attempted to force this unwilling medium of paint and canvas into a record of their emotions.” [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great painters wrestle with paint to capture their feelings, forcing the medium to record emotion. **In simple terms:** Artists struggle to express emotions through paint. Key Takeaway Embrace the challenge of translating feeling into art. Themes art emotion creativity expression Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - painting workshops - art therapy - creative writing - design projects Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology of art visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How do you translate inner feelings into a visual form? - What limits do you encounter in artistic expression? A Different Perspective Art may never fully convey complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Belive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belive/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Great Painters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-painters-689166/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Master Attempted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-attempted-4651332/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painters/) [Painters Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painters-intellect-4651330/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Unwilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwilling/) [Unwilling Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwilling-medium-4651331/) ## Related quotes > [Most people who think they can't live up to the great painters of the past, often times have a group of people they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-owens/most-people-who-think-they-can-t-live-up-to-the-great-painters-of-the/) [Laura Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-owens/) > [You know, it's no accident that the great painters came from areas like Europe where there is a lot of clouds and rain, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-hirschfeld/you-know-it-s-no-accident-that-the-great-painters-came-from-areas/) [Al Hirschfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-hirschfeld/) > [Titian, Rembrandt and Goya were the great painters. I am only a public clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/titian-rembrandt-and-goya-were-the-great-painters-i-am-only-a-public/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I'm the expert when it comes to my paintings. I think all great painters have to have that confidence in what they are seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordicai-gerstein/i-m-the-expert-when-it-comes-to-my-paintings-i-think-all-great/) [Mordicai Gerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordicai-gerstein/) > [I know that some of the great painters and some of the great artists didn't even start to 'peak', as you say, till they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/i-know-that-some-of-the-great-painters-and-some-of-the-great-artists/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-hertmans/) > [Almost all great painters in old age arrive at the same kind of broad, simplified style, as if they wanted to summarise the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/almost-all-great-painters-in-old-age-arrive-at-the-same-kind-of-broad/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-have-understood-what-all-great-painters-understand-in-order-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Being able to draw well’, he goes on, ‘is the hardest thing – far harder than painting, as one can easily see from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gayford/being-able-to-draw-well-he-goes-on-is-the-hardest-thing-far-harder/) [Martin Gayford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gayford/) > [The names of great painters are like passing-bells: in the name of Velasquez you hear sounded the fall of Spain; .in the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-names-of-great-painters-are-like-passing-bells-in-the-name-of/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [We are the two great painters of this era; you are in the Egyptian style, I in themodern style. (to Pablo Picasso)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rousseau/we-are-the-two-great-painters-of-this-era-you-are-in-the-egyptian/) [Henri Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rousseau/) > [But when I am alone, I do not have the effrontery to consider myself an artist at all, not in the grand old meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/but-when-i-am-alone-i-do-not-have-the-effrontery-to-consider-myself/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I like the fact that in ancient Chinese art the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-like-the-fact-that-in-ancient-chinese-art-the-great-painters-always/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [At the beginning of the 20th century, the ambition of the great painters was to make paintings that were like music, which was then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/at-the-beginning-of-the-20th-century-the-ambition-of-the-great/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Edward Hopper > [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [I find linseed oil and white lead the most satisfactory mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-linseed-oil-and-white-lead-the-most-satisfactory-mediums/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [There is a sort of elation about sunlight on the upper part of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/there-is-a-sort-of-elation-about-sunlight-on-the-upper-part-of-a-house/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/no-amount-of-skillful-invention-can-replace-the-essential-element-of/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [My aim in painting has always been the most exact transcription possible of my most intimate impression of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/my-aim-in-painting-has-always-been-the-most-exact-transcription/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [The only quality that endures in art is a personal vision of the world. Methods are transient: personality is enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/the-only-quality-that-endures-in-art-is-a-personal-vision-of-the/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Yes, linseed oil. I used to use poppy oil, but I have heard that poppy oil is given to cracking pigment too, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/yes-linseed-oil-i-used-to-use-poppy-oil-but-i-have-heard-that-poppy/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [I use a retouching varnish which is made in France, Libert, and that's all the varnish I use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-use-a-retouching-varnish-which-is-made-in-france-libert-and-that-s/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [The trend in some of the contemporary movements in art, but by no means all, seems to deny this ideal and to me appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/the-trend-in-some-of-the-contemporary-movements-in-art-but-by-no/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [The only real influence I've ever had was myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/the-only-real-influence-i-ve-ever-had-was-myself/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [If I had the energy, I would have done it all over the county.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/if-i-had-the-energy-i-would-have-done-it-all-over-the-county/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [The question of the value of nationality in art is perhaps unsolvable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/the-question-of-the-value-of-nationality-in-art-is-perhaps-unsolvable/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/if-you-could-say-it-in-words-there-would-be-no-reason-to-paint/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [I think that zinc white has a property of scaling and cracking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-think-that-zinc-white-has-a-property-of-scaling-and-cracking/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [In its most limited sense, modern, art would seem to concern itself only with the technical innovations of the period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/in-its-most-limited-sense-modern-art-would-seem-to-concern-itself/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) [Explore all 43 Edward Hopper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) ## 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": "I believe that the great painters with their intellect as master have attempted to force this unwilling medium of paint and canvas into a record of their emotions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hopper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-their-intellect-as-master-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-their-intellect-as-master-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/edward-hopper-15293_believe_i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-t_2171409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that the great painters with their intellect as master have attempted to force this unwilling…” — Edward Hopper", "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": "Edward Hopper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe that the great painters...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-their-intellect-as-master-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-believe-that-the-great-painters-with-their-intellect-as-master-have/#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 } } ] } ```