Artist Quote by Francoise Gilot
““I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The future will choose the pages it prefers. It's not up to me to make the choice. I have the impression that the time is speading on past me more and more rapidly. I'm like a river that rolls on, dragging with it the trees that grow too close to its banks or dead calves one might have thrown into it or any kind of microbes that develop in it. I carry all that along with me and go on. It's the movement of painting that interests me, the dramatic movement from one effort to the next, even if those efforts are perhaps not pushed to their ultimate end. In some of my paintings I can say with certainty that the effort has been brought to its full weight and its conclusion, because there I have been able to stop the flow of time around me. I have less and less time, and yet I have more and more to say, and what I have to say is,increasingly, something about what goes on in the movement of my thought. I've reached the moment, you see, when the movement of my thought interests me more than the thought itself.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Art and Life, 1990s
The artist sees painting as a living journal, where each work records thoughts and time, and the act of creating becomes more compelling than the ideas themselves.
In simple terms: Painting is a moving journal; the process matters more than the product.
Focus on the flow of creation, not just the outcome.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- studio work
- personal journaling
- exhibition planning
- teaching art
- public talks
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does the act of creating shape your identity?
- Can you balance process with finished work?
The emphasis on process may neglect technical mastery or audience engagement.