--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never painted a self-portrait. I…" description: "\"I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women... There is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/gustav-klimt-30580_knows_i-have-never-painted-a-self-portrait-i-a_1207181.jpg" --- # I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested… ![“I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women... There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night... Who ever wants to know something about me... ought to…” quote by Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/gustav-klimt-30580_knows_i-have-never-painted-a-self-portrait-i-a_1207181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/gustav-klimt-30580_knows_i-have-never-painted-a-self-portrait-i-a_1207181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/gustav-klimt-30580_knows_i-have-never-painted-a-self-portrait-i-a_1207181.jpg) > “I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women... There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night... Who ever wants to know something about me... ought to look carefully at my pictures.” [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Klimt emphasizes that his art reveals his identity more than any personal confession, focusing on portraying others, especially women, to understand himself. **In simple terms:** His paintings, his self; Key Takeaway Look at his art to know him. Themes art self identity gender perception Mood contemplative introspective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery visits - art history study - personal reflection - museum tours Key Concepts portraiture self-representation female gaze Questions to Reflect On - What do his paintings reveal about his view of women? - How does focusing on subjects shape an artist’s self‑knowledge? A Different Perspective His focus on others may overlook his own inner life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Painted Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted-self-3643843/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait/) [Portrait Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait-interested-3643844/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-portrait/) [Self portrait photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-portrait-photography/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Subject Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-painting-1125911/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [“The egocentricity which motivated it was not that of the spoiled, but of the too little spoiled; the lonely. Had she been an artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-levin/the-egocentricity-which-motivated-it-was-not-that-of-the-spoiled-but/) [Ira Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-levin/) > [Everything is a self-portrait. Everything is a diary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/everything-is-a-self-portrait-everything-is-a-diary/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [In a sense, every work you do is a self-portrait because your paintings always reveal more about you than about your subject. Your experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schmid/in-a-sense-every-work-you-do-is-a-self-portrait-because-your/) [Richard Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schmid/) > [The self-portrait is an act of objectifying the self and in that regard is a unique form of portraiture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-silverman/the-self-portrait-is-an-act-of-objectifying-the-self-and-in-that/) [Burton Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-silverman/) > [I am living a new and exalted life of late. It steeps me in a sacred rapture to see a portrait develop and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-am-living-a-new-and-exalted-life-of-late-it-steeps-me-in-a-sacred/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is no self-portrait of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/there-is-no-self-portrait-of-me/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [The tool of every self-portrait is the mirror. You see yourself in it. Turn it the other way, and you see the world .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-tool-of-every-self-portrait-is-the-mirror-you-see-yourself-in-it/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [Taking photographs is generally an act of 'looking at the object, whereas 'being seen' or 'showing' is what is most interest to one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/taking-photographs-is-generally-an-act-of-looking-at-the-object/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [An act of naming should quite rightly enable me to call any-thing a self-portrait, not only any drawing, 'portrait' or not, but everything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/an-act-of-naming-should-quite-rightly-enable-me-to-call-any-thing-a/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. Every job is a self portrait of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/unless-you-try-to-do-something-beyond-what-you-have-already-mastered/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [I think self-portraits are very difficult. I’ve always seen mine as straightforward, very stripped down, hair pulled back. No shirt. Whatever light happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-think-self-portraits-are-very-difficult-i-ve-always-seen-mine-as/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I have read all of Daniel Aaron's books, and admired them, but in The Americanist I believe he has composed an intellectual and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-have-read-all-of-daniel-aaron-s-books-and-admired-them-but-in-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [It says in the Bible, in plain words, that God made a self-portrait. He created man in His own image - man and woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/it-says-in-the-bible-in-plain-words-that-god-made-a-self-portrait-he/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [Bodybuilding is an art, your body is the canvas, weights are your brush and nutrition is your paint. We all have the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-greene/bodybuilding-is-an-art-your-body-is-the-canvas-weights-are-your-brush/) [Kai Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-greene/) > [I've heard many times that with all good artists it's ultimately a self-portrait even if it's an abstraction. I feel my work is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-ve-heard-many-times-that-with-all-good-artists-it-s-ultimately-a/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) ## More by Gustav Klimt > [True relaxation, which would do me the world of good, does not exist for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/true-relaxation-which-would-do-me-the-world-of-good-does-not-exist/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [Although even when I am being idle I have plenty of food for thought both early and late - thoughts both about and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/although-even-when-i-am-being-idle-i-have-plenty-of-food-for-thought/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [Whoever wants to know something about me - as an artist which alone is significant - they should look attentively at my pictures and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/whoever-wants-to-know-something-about-me-as-an-artist-which-alone-is/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [I can paint and draw. I believe this myself and a few other people say that they believe this too. But I'm not certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/i-can-paint-and-draw-i-believe-this-myself-and-a-few-other-people-say/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/i-have-the-gift-of-neither-the-spoken-nor-the-written-word-especially/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [If the weather is good I go into the nearby wood - there I am painting a small beech forest (in the sun) with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/if-the-weather-is-good-i-go-into-the-nearby-wood-there-i-am-painting/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [There is nothing that special to see when looking at me. I'm a painter who paints day in day out, from morning till evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/there-is-nothing-that-special-to-see-when-looking-at-me-i-m-a-painter/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [There is nothing that special to see when looking at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/there-is-nothing-that-special-to-see-when-looking-at-me/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [“Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/truth-is-like-fire-to-tell-the-truth-means-to-glow-and-burn/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [On my first days here I did not start work immediately but, as planned, I took it easy for a few days - flicked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/on-my-first-days-here-i-did-not-start-work-immediately-but-as-planned/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [Sometimes I miss out the morning's painting session and instead study my Japanese books in the open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/sometimes-i-miss-out-the-morning-s-painting-session-and-instead-study/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [There is always hope, as long as the canvases are empty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/there-is-always-hope-as-long-as-the-canvases-are-empty/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [There is no self-portrait of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/there-is-no-self-portrait-of-me/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [Even when I have to write a simple letter I'm scared stiff as if faced with looming seasickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/even-when-i-have-to-write-a-simple-letter-i-m-scared-stiff-as-if/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) > [Art is a line around your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-klimt/art-is-a-line-around-your-thoughts/) [Gustav Klimt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) [Explore all 17 Gustav Klimt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-klimt/) ## 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 have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women... There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night... 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