--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To paint from nature is to realize one's…" description: "\"To paint from nature is to realize one's sensations, not to copy what is before one.\" — J. E. H. MacDonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d37/j-e-h-macdonald-51205_artist_to-paint-from-nature-is-to-realize-one-s_2496782.png" --- # To paint from nature is to realize one's sensations, not… ![“To paint from nature is to realize one's sensations, not to copy what is before one.” quote by J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d37/j-e-h-macdonald-51205_artist_to-paint-from-nature-is-to-realize-one-s_2496782.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d37/j-e-h-macdonald-51205_artist_to-paint-from-nature-is-to-realize-one-s_2496782.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d37/j-e-h-macdonald-51205_artist_to-paint-from-nature-is-to-realize-one-s_2496782.png) > “To paint from nature is to realize one's sensations, not to copy what is before one.” [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic expression should capture personal feeling rather than merely replicate visual reality. **In simple terms:** Express feelings, not just copy. Key Takeaway Prioritize emotional truth in creation. Themes art perception creativity Mood reflective inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - drawing - personal journaling - visual storytelling Key Concepts subjectivity sensory experience Questions to Reflect On - How can you convey inner sensations through visual media? - What techniques help translate feeling into form? A Different Perspective May be misinterpreted as lacking technical skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-realize-1020442/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-nature-619655/) [Realize Sensations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-sensations-1020443/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Sensations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensations/) [Sensations Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensations-copy-1020444/) ## Related quotes > [We have today to learn to get back into accord with the wisdom of nature and realize again our brotherhood with the animals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-have-today-to-learn-to-get-back-into-accord-with-the-wisdom-of-2/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I study nature, and I realize that no matter how much you learn, you can't top nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/i-study-nature-and-i-realize-that-no-matter-how-much-you-learn-you/) [Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/) > [“When we look at a tree, we do not see the tree for what it really is. We see how it appears to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/when-we-look-at-a-tree-we-do-not-see-the-tree-for-what-it-really-is/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [“Don't paint from nature too much. Art is an abstraction. Derive this abstraction from nature while dreaming before it, and think more of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/don-t-paint-from-nature-too-much-art-is-an-abstraction-derive-this/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [I've been taking a lot of time to paint and be in nature. I would say I'm happier as a person. More centered. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-brody/i-ve-been-taking-a-lot-of-time-to-paint-and-be-in-nature-i-would-say/) [Adrien Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-brody/) > [I do not paint in front of but from within nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/i-do-not-paint-in-front-of-but-from-within-nature/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [To paint nature you must be in it a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/to-paint-nature-you-must-be-in-it-a-long-time/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [For an Impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/for-an-impressionist-to-paint-from-nature-is-not-to-paint-the-subject/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I don't paint nature. I am nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-don-t-paint-nature-i-am-nature/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [It is a very high mind to which gratitude is not a painful sensation. If you wish to please, you will find it wiser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/it-is-a-very-high-mind-to-which-gratitude-is-not-a-painful-sensation/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [I am still searching for the expression of those confused sensations that we bring with us at birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/i-am-still-searching-for-the-expression-of-those-confused-sensations/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [We don't have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/we-don-t-have-a-language-for-the-senses-feelings-are-images/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) ## More by J. E. H. MacDonald > [I have memories of the clearest crystal mountain days imaginable, when we fortunates in the height seemed to be sky people living in light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/i-have-memories-of-the-clearest-crystal-mountain-days-imaginable-when/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) > [If the function of the artist is to see, the first duty of the critic is to understand what the artist saw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/if-the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-see-the-first-duty-of-the-critic/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) > [Snow and reflections were beautiful but transient effects and other difficulties were beyond me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/snow-and-reflections-were-beautiful-but-transient-effects-and-other/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) > [Made a sketch later on the cabin verandah, but it was impossible to keep up with the changes. Oh the difficulties of mountain art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/made-a-sketch-later-on-the-cabin-verandah-but-it-was-impossible-to/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) > [It is the work of the Canadian artist to paint or play or write in such a way that life will be enlarged for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/it-is-the-work-of-the-canadian-artist-to-paint-or-play-or-write-in/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) > [One felt that the mountains are not completed. The builders are still at work. Stones come rolling and jumping from the upper scaffolding and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-h-macdonald/one-felt-that-the-mountains-are-not-completed-the-builders-are-still/) [J. E. H. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) [Explore all 7 J. E. H. MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-h-macdonald/) ## 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": "To paint from nature is to realize one's sensations, not to copy what is before one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. E. H. 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