Artist Quote by John Berger
“I use charcoal a lot. Partly because it has such a fantastic range but also because it is very easy to erase. For me, drawing is a lot to do with taking out, with returning to the white of the paper.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Ways of Seeing, John Berger, 1972
Berger values that charcoal’s versatility and erasability make it ideal for drawing, emphasizing removal and the return to blankness as artistic process.
In simple terms: Charcoal is versatile and easy to erase, highlighting drawing as adding and returning to blankness.
Key Takeaway
Embrace erasing as part of creation.
Themes
art
process
materiality
creativity
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
artistic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- sketching
- conceptual art
- design
- illustration
Key Concepts
visual art
negative space
iteration
Questions to Reflect On
- How does erasing shape your creative decisions?
- What does the white of the paper represent for you?
A Different Perspective
Erasing can disrupt flow if overused.
![“There's the artist's intimacy and truthfulness to himself, but an equal intimacy to the Other [the one drawn]. Picasso drawings are like that... the Rembrandts are like that. The artist who most often did that was Van Gogh.” quote by John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0d1/john-berger-1590_art_there-s-the-artist-s-intimacy-and-truthf_155171.jpg)
