--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Painting, like poetry, selects in the…" description: "\"Painting, like poetry, selects in the universe whatever she deems most appropriate to her ends. She assembles in a single fantastic personage, circumst..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/francisco-goya-26954_appropriate_painting-like-poetry-selects-in-the-univ_1870489.jpg" --- # Painting, like poetry, selects in the universe whatever… ![“Painting, like poetry, selects in the universe whatever she deems most appropriate to her ends. She assembles in a single fantastic personage, circumstances and features which nature distributes among many individuals. From this combination, ingeniously composed, results that happy imitation by…” quote by Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/francisco-goya-26954_appropriate_painting-like-poetry-selects-in-the-univ_1870489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/francisco-goya-26954_appropriate_painting-like-poetry-selects-in-the-univ_1870489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/francisco-goya-26954_appropriate_painting-like-poetry-selects-in-the-univ_1870489.jpg) > “Painting, like poetry, selects in the universe whatever she deems most appropriate to her ends. She assembles in a single fantastic personage, circumstances and features which nature distributes among many individuals. From this combination, ingeniously composed, results that happy imitation by virtue of which the artist earns the title of inventor and not of servile copyist.” [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art merges disparate elements into a unified creation, granting the artist inventive authority rather than mere imitation. **In simple terms:** Art combines many parts into one unique whole. Key Takeaway Embrace synthesis, become an inventor. Themes creativity art innovation Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - painting - writing - design - curation Key Concepts aesthetic synthesis inventive authority Questions to Reflect On - How do you choose which elements to combine? - What makes a synthesis feel original? A Different Perspective The result may still be constrained by cultural expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Features](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/features/) [Imitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation/) [Imitation Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation-virtue-2577818/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Inventor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventor/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Painting Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting-like/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Titles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titles/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtue Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue-artist-2577820/) ## Related quotes > [It is not a virtue, but a deceptive copy and imitation of virtue, when we are led to the performance of duty by pleasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-is-not-a-virtue-but-a-deceptive-copy-and-imitation-of-virtue-when/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [That which leads us to the performance of duty by offering pleasure as its reward, is not virtue, but a deceptive copy and imitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/that-which-leads-us-to-the-performance-of-duty-by-offering-pleasure/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are the artist’s materials for an art. From the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/thought-and-language-are-to-the-artist-instruments-of-an-art-vice-and-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/thought-and-language-are-to-the-artist-instruments-of-an-art-vice-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't know if there is any one secret to successful writing, but one important step is to move beyond imitation and discover what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-don-t-know-if-there-is-any-one-secret-to-successful-writing-but-one/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [For me, painting is like meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fish/for-me-painting-is-like-meditation/) [Janet Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fish/) > [Painting for me is like a fabric, all of a piece and uniform, with one set of threads as the representational, esthetic element, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gris/painting-for-me-is-like-a-fabric-all-of-a-piece-and-uniform-with-one/) [Juan Gris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gris/) > [I've been doing this since I was a kid. Then, I got in trouble for painting like this on the wall, but now, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-israel/i-ve-been-doing-this-since-i-was-a-kid-then-i-got-in-trouble-for/) [Michael Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-israel/) > [I come alive when I'm painting. I like to work in oils and acrylics, and the full sensory engagement and self-expression is very stimulating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-ejogo/i-come-alive-when-i-m-painting-i-like-to-work-in-oils-and-acrylics/) [Carmen Ejogo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-ejogo/) > [The painting is like a thread that runs through all the reasons for all the other things that make one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/the-painting-is-like-a-thread-that-runs-through-all-the-reasons-for/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Painting seems like impossibility, with only a sign now and then of its own light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-guston/painting-seems-like-impossibility-with-only-a-sign-now-and-then-of/) [Philip Guston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-guston/) > [Painting is like breathing to me. It’s what I do all the time. Every day I make art, whether it is painting, writing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/painting-is-like-breathing-to-me-it-s-what-i-do-all-the-time-every/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [Making a painting is like having sex for a month or something. Then I go through this period of elation at finishing the work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-zuck/making-a-painting-is-like-having-sex-for-a-month-or-something-then-i/) [Tim Zuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-zuck/) > [I always dream a painting like that, with a group of lively figures of the pals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-always-dream-a-painting-like-that-with-a-group-of-lively-figures-of/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“Art should be linked to abstract things - color, line, tone. It is not an instrument to improve social conditions and chase ugliness. Painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/art-should-be-linked-to-abstract-things-color-line-tone-it-is-not-an/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) ## More by Francisco Goya > [Monsters are the result of the sleep of reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/monsters-are-the-result-of-the-sleep-of-reason/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [“El sueno de la razon produce monstuos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/el-sueno-de-la-razon-produce-monstuos/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [With all my work, I have not more, with my shares in the bank and the Academy, than twelve or thirteen thousand reales a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/with-all-my-work-i-have-not-more-with-my-shares-in-the-bank-and-the/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [I have had three masters, Nature, Velasquez, and Rembrandt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/i-have-had-three-masters-nature-velasquez-and-rembrandt/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [But where do they find these lines in nature? I can only see luminous or obscure masses, planes that advance or planes that recede,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/but-where-do-they-find-these-lines-in-nature-i-can-only-see-luminous/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [I have just returned from Arenas and feel very tired. His Excellency loaded me with a thousand honours; I have painted his portrait and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/i-have-just-returned-from-arenas-and-feel-very-tired-his-excellency/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [“El Sueno de la razon produce monstrous. (The sleep of reason breeds monsters)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/el-sueno-de-la-razon-produce-monstrous-the-sleep-of-reason-breeds/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [The dream of reason produces monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/the-dream-of-reason-produces-monsters/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [Painting (like poetry) chooses from universals what is most apposite. It brings together, in a single imaginary being, circumstances and characteristics which occur in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/painting-like-poetry-chooses-from-universals-what-is-most-apposite-it/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [In art, there is no need for color; I see only light and shade. Give me a crayon, and I will paint your portrait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/in-art-there-is-no-need-for-color-i-see-only-light-and-shade-give-me/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [The act of painting is about one heart telling another heart where he found salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/the-act-of-painting-is-about-one-heart-telling-another-heart-where-he/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [I have now established myself in a most enviable manner. Those who require something of me must seek me out - I remain apart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/i-have-now-established-myself-in-a-most-enviable-manner-those-who/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [I see only forms that are lit up and forms that are not. There is only light and shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/i-see-only-forms-that-are-lit-up-and-forms-that-are-not-there-is-only/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/fantasy-abandoned-by-reason-produces-impossible-monsters/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) > [First be a magnificent artist and then you can do whatever, but the art must be first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goya/first-be-a-magnificent-artist-and-then-you-can-do-whatever-but-the/) [Francisco Goya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) [Explore all 19 Francisco Goya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goya/) ## More Appropriate quotes > [“Appropriate is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-w-kohlhagen/appropriate-is-overrated/) [Steven W. Kohlhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-w-kohlhagen/) > [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/) [Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/) > [I don't think 'This Means War' is an appropriate picture to do in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcg/i-don-t-think-this-means-war-is-an-appropriate-picture-to-do-in-3-d/) [McG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcg/) > [There is no single best kind of death. A good death is one that is "appropriate" for that person. It is a death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-s-shneidman/there-is-no-single-best-kind-of-death-a-good-death-is-one-that-is/) [Edwin S. 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I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/) [John O. 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Comprehension needs to be worked forged, by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/a-reader-does-not-suddenly-comprehend-what-is-being-read-or-studied/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) [Browse all 1,130 Appropriate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Painting, like poetry, selects in the universe whatever she deems most appropriate to her ends. She assembles in a single fantastic personage, circumstances and features which nature distributes among many individuals. 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