--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only after years of struggle and…" description: "\"It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that the young artist should touch color - and then only in the company of his betters.\" — El Greco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png" --- # It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that… ![“It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that the young artist should touch color - and then only in the company of his betters.” quote by El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png) > “It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that the young artist should touch color - and then only in the company of his betters.” [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only after hardship should a young artist explore color, and then only with more experienced peers. **In simple terms:** Struggle precedes artistic color use. Key Takeaway Seek mentorship after hardship. Themes art growth mentorship Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic educational When to use this quote - art school - personal projects - exhibitions Key Concepts struggle color theory skill development Questions to Reflect On - How does hardship shape artistic voice? - Why involve mentors in creative breakthroughs? A Different Perspective May stifle early experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Deprivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deprivation/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Young artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-artists/) ## Related quotes > [It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color - not color used descriptively, that is, but as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/it-is-only-after-years-of-preparation-that-the-young-artist-should/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Because her instinct has told her, or because she has been reliably informed, the faded virgin knows that the supreme joys are not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/because-her-instinct-has-told-her-or-because-she-has-been-reliably/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [I was poorer than anyone I'd ever met. But it was a great time to be a young artist - I remember it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-was-poorer-than-anyone-i-d-ever-met-but-it-was-a-great-time-to-be-a/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [There comes a moment in a young artist's life when he knows he has to bring something to the stage from within himself. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/there-comes-a-moment-in-a-young-artist-s-life-when-he-knows-he-has-to/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I think the Internet gives too much for a young artist to compare themselves too. I'm not sure that "notes" or "likes" are what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-prince/i-think-the-internet-gives-too-much-for-a-young-artist-to-compare/) [Liz Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-prince/) > [ Every young artist has to do it one way, his \[or her\] way, and the hell with patterns. Remember who you are and where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/every-young-artist-has-to-do-it-one-way-his-or-her-way-and-the-hell/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [Nothing, indeed, is more dangerous to the young artist than any conception of ideal beauty: he is constantly led by it either into weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/nothing-indeed-is-more-dangerous-to-the-young-artist-than-any-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The more hedonistic you were, the better...I very much subscribed to that as a young artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/the-more-hedonistic-you-were-the-better-i-very-much-subscribed-to/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [ Imitation is the greatest danger of the young \[artist\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/imitation-is-the-greatest-danger-of-the-young-artist/) [Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/) > [The young artist of today need no longer say 'I am a painter,' or 'a poet,' or 'a dancer.' He is simply an 'artist.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-kaprow/the-young-artist-of-today-need-no-longer-say-i-am-a-painter-or-a-poet/) [Allan Kaprow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-kaprow/) > [A young artist can become popular more quickly with the Internet providing instant access to ones work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-mayer/a-young-artist-can-become-popular-more-quickly-with-the-internet/) [Jillian Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-mayer/) > [The last thing a young artist should do in poetry or any other field is think about whats in style, whats current, what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/the-last-thing-a-young-artist-should-do-in-poetry-or-any-other-field/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [There's nothing like a little fear or hunger to motivate one's inspiration. To take that away from a young artist can offer quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-danby/there-s-nothing-like-a-little-fear-or-hunger-to-motivate-one-s/) [Ken Danby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-danby/) > [The young artist... will discover out of ordinary things the meaning of ordinariness. He will not try to make them extraordinary. Only their real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-kaprow/the-young-artist-will-discover-out-of-ordinary-things-the-meaning-of/) [Allan Kaprow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-kaprow/) > [Sometimes, as a young artist, I was looking for validation to know I was good enough, and that's what the initial audition gave me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-willett/sometimes-as-a-young-artist-i-was-looking-for-validation-to-know-i/) [Erin Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-willett/) ## More by El Greco > [Painting, because of its universality, becomes speculation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/painting-because-of-its-universality-becomes-speculation/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [I suffer for my art and despise the witless moneyed scoundrels who praise it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/i-suffer-for-my-art-and-despise-the-witless-moneyed-scoundrels-who/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [I was created by the all powerful God to fill the universe with my masterpieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/i-was-created-by-the-all-powerful-god-to-fill-the-universe-with-my/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [I paint because the spirits whisper madly inside my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/i-paint-because-the-spirits-whisper-madly-inside-my-head/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [The language of art is celestial in origin and can only be understood by the chosen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/the-language-of-art-is-celestial-in-origin-and-can-only-be-understood/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [Art is everywhere you look for it, hail the twinkling stars for they are God's careless splatters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/art-is-everywhere-you-look-for-it-hail-the-twinkling-stars-for-they/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [Can the darkness condemn the light?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/can-the-darkness-condemn-the-light/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) > [Artists create out of a sense of desolation. The spirit of creation is a excruciating, intricate exploration from within the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/artists-create-out-of-a-sense-of-desolation-the-spirit-of-creation-is/) [El Greco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) [Explore all 9 El Greco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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 > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that the young artist should touch color - and then only in the company of his betters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "El Greco" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-deprivation-that-the-young/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-deprivation-that-the-young/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/el-greco-44946_art_it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-d_281563.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is only after years of struggle and deprivation that the young artist should touch color - and then only…” — El Greco", "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": "El Greco", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-greco/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is only after years of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-deprivation-that-the-young/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-greco/it-is-only-after-years-of-struggle-and-deprivation-that-the-young/#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 } } ] } ```