--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I eat a tomato I look at it the way…" description: "\"When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently.\" — Henri Matisse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg" --- # When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else… ![“When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently.” quote by Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg) > “When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently.” [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. Seeing an object changes when you create art, revealing new perspectives and emotional depth. **In simple terms:** Art changes perception of everyday things. Key Takeaway Use art to see familiar things anew. Themes creativity perception art observation Mood reflective inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - teaching art - design brainstorming - personal reflection Key Concepts Aesthetics subjectivity visual language Questions to Reflect On - How does painting alter your view of ordinary objects? - What new details emerge when you draw something? A Different Perspective Art may idealize, obscuring practical reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Eat Tomato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eat-tomato-2758760/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Tomato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-tomato-2758758/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Tomato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomato/) [Tomato Differently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomato-differently-2758757/) [Tomato Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomato-look-2758759/) [Tomatoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomatoes/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Many of the things the slow food people honor were innovations within historical times. Somebody had to be the first European to eat a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/many-of-the-things-the-slow-food-people-honor-were-innovations-within/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If I was trapped inside a room filled with explosives and the only way out was to eat a whole tomato I would die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/if-i-was-trapped-inside-a-room-filled-with-explosives-and-the-only/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [“Annabelle smiles with one side of her mouth. "I don't look like a tomato?" "You look like a beauty." I take her arm and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-scott/annabelle-smiles-with-one-side-of-her-mouth-i-don-t-look-like-a/) [Victoria Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-scott/) > [In Spain, we mainly use red plum tomatoes, but it is always fun to experiment. Try using a mix of colors or substitute green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-spain-we-mainly-use-red-plum-tomatoes-but-it-is-always-fun-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't know how long I spent wandering about the supermarket creating meals in my mind. Hot roast chicken and mayonnaise sandwiches. Pizzas on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-tunnicliffe/i-don-t-know-how-long-i-spent-wandering-about-the-supermarket/) [Hannah Tunnicliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-tunnicliffe/) > [He says I'm beautiful as a red tomato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-duprau/he-says-i-m-beautiful-as-a-red-tomato/) [Jeanne DuPrau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-duprau/) > [“Ever since, two summers ago, Joe Marino had begun to come into her bed, a preposterous fecundity had overtaken the staked plans, out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/ever-since-two-summers-ago-joe-marino-had-begun-to-come-into-her-bed/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The time will come when this luscious golden tomato, rich in nutrition, a delight to the eye, a joy to the palate whether fried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-johnson/the-time-will-come-when-this-luscious-golden-tomato-rich-in-nutrition/) [Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-johnson/) > [“The raw tomato, devoured in the garden when freshly picked, is a horn of abundance of simple sensations, a radiating rush in one's mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/the-raw-tomato-devoured-in-the-garden-when-freshly-picked-is-a-horn/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Her smile was somehow a little too bright, but I watched as she showed me how she had scored the puff pastry and brushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-tunnicliffe/her-smile-was-somehow-a-little-too-bright-but-i-watched-as-she-showed/) [Hannah Tunnicliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-tunnicliffe/) > [Grilled cheese and tomato soup is the ultimate comfort meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup-is-the-ultimate-comfort-meal/) [Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/) > [Don't give me no rotten tomato, 'cause all I ever wanted was your sweet potato.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-give-me-no-rotten-tomato-cause-all-i-ever-wanted-was-your-sweet/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Tomato and lettuce-especially lettuce-is an abomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-sheraton/tomato-and-lettuce-especially-lettuce-is-an-abomination/) [Mimi Sheraton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-sheraton/) > [If you don't like tomato soup, you don't buy tomato soup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/if-you-don-t-like-tomato-soup-you-don-t-buy-tomato-soup/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [His eyes were rolling in their sockets, and his face had taken on the colour and expression of a devout tomato. I could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/his-eyes-were-rolling-in-their-sockets-and-his-face-had-taken-on-the/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) ## 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 Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Matisse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way-anyone-else-would-but-when-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way-anyone-else-would-but-when-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/henri-matisse-1641_creative_when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way_285372.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it…” — 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": "When I eat a tomato I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way-anyone-else-would-but-when-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-eat-a-tomato-i-look-at-it-the-way-anyone-else-would-but-when-i/#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 } } ] } ```