--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drawing is . . . not an exercise of…" description: "\"Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods.\" — Henri Matisse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg" --- # Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity… ![“Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods.” quote by Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg) > “Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods.” [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Drawing is less about technical skill and more about conveying personal emotions and moods through visual expression. **In simple terms:** Drawing expresses feelings, not just skill. Key Takeaway Use drawing to convey inner states. Themes art expression emotion creativity intimacy Mood introspective inspirational Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - therapy - education - personal journaling - design Key Concepts visual communication psychology of art Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you want to capture? - How does drawing differ from other art forms? A Different Perspective Technical focus can limit emotional depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Dexterity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dexterity/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) ## Related quotes > [The most important thing is to write in your own blood. I bare intimate feelings because people should know how other people feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/the-most-important-thing-is-to-write-in-your-own-blood-i-bare/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Simple colours can affect the intimate feelings with all the more force because they are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/simple-colours-can-affect-the-intimate-feelings-with-all-the-more/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Drawing is exercise for a restless imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/drawing-is-exercise-for-a-restless-imagination/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I don't necessarily want people to know all my intimate feelings about Tracey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-edmonds/i-don-t-necessarily-want-people-to-know-all-my-intimate-feelings/) [Kenneth Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-edmonds/) > [In order to share intimate feelings, you have to have intimate feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/in-order-to-share-intimate-feelings-you-have-to-have-intimate-feelings/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [But I would like to think for a moment about a man who in the morning teaches his students that a false attribution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/but-i-would-like-to-think-for-a-moment-about-a-man-who-in-the-morning/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [He who asks fortune-tellers the future unwittingly forfeits an inner intimation of coming events that is a thousand times more exact than anything they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/he-who-asks-fortune-tellers-the-future-unwittingly-forfeits-an-inner/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Some aim to be deft, others to be laboriously careful. Neither dexterity nor conscientiousness is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chai-lu/some-aim-to-be-deft-others-to-be-laboriously-careful-neither/) Chai Lu > [If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptly-it-is-then-fully-apt-since/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [This great increase of the quantity of work which, in consequence of the division of labour, the same number of people are capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/this-great-increase-of-the-quantity-of-work-which-in-consequence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [It is only with prudence, sagacity, and much dexterity that great aims are accomplished, and all obstacles surmounted. Otherwise nothing is accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/it-is-only-with-prudence-sagacity-and-much-dexterity-that-great-aims/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [I hate to paint portraits! I hope never to paint another portrait in my life. Portraiture may be all right for a man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/i-hate-to-paint-portraits-i-hope-never-to-paint-another-portrait-in/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [“It is almost possible to measure a writer's skill by the dexterity with which he repeats, and yet avoids monotony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-g-williams/it-is-almost-possible-to-measure-a-writer-s-skill-by-the-dexterity/) George G. Williams > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) ## More by Henri Matisse > [The wall around the window does not create two worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-wall-around-the-window-does-not-create-two-worlds/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Arrival = Prison, and the artist must never be a prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/arrival-prison-and-the-artist-must-never-be-a-prisoner/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [To arrive is to be in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/to-arrive-is-to-be-in-prison/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back on the ticket. I would have felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-saw-what-a-mess-everything-was-in-i-asked-for-my-money-back-on/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [A painting in an interior spreads joy around it by the colors, which calm us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/a-painting-in-an-interior-spreads-joy-around-it-by-the-colors-which/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature. It was given to us so that we can express our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/color-was-not-given-to-us-in-order-that-we-should-imitate-nature-it/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [If it is practiced by a man of taste, the photograph will have the appearance of art (but) the photographer must...intervene as little as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/if-it-is-practiced-by-a-man-of-taste-the-photograph-will-have-the/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have a light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-have-always-tried-to-hide-my-efforts-and-wished-my-works-to-have-a/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [The chief function of color should be to serve expression as well as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-chief-function-of-color-should-be-to-serve-expression-as-well-as/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [One gets into a state of creativity by conscious work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/one-gets-into-a-state-of-creativity-by-conscious-work/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [My pictures are made up of four or five colors that collide with one another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/my-pictures-are-made-up-of-four-or-five-colors-that-collide-with-one/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [What I dream of is an art of balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/what-i-dream-of-is-an-art-of-balance/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [...I am driven on by an idea that I really only grasp as it grows with the picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-am-driven-on-by-an-idea-that-i-really-only-grasp-as-it-grows-with/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-don-t-paint-things-i-only-paint-the-difference-between-things/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [After a half-century of hard work and reflection the wall is still there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/after-a-half-century-of-hard-work-and-reflection-the-wall-is-still/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) [Explore all 219 Henri Matisse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) ## 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 > [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": "Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Matisse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular-dexterity-but-above-all-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular-dexterity-but-above-all-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/henri-matisse-1641_dexterity_drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular_1120259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate…” — Henri Matisse", "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": "Henri Matisse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Drawing is . . . not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular-dexterity-but-above-all-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/drawing-is-not-an-exercise-of-particular-dexterity-but-above-all-a/#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 } } ] } ```