--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he painted a road, the roadmakers…" description: "\"When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his imagination, when he painted the turned earth of a ploughed field, the gesture of the blade tu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/john-berger-1590_artist_when-he-painted-a-road-the-roadmakers-we_385437.jpg" --- # When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his… ![“When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his imagination, when he painted the turned earth of a ploughed field, the gesture of the blade turning the earth was included in his own act. Whenever he looked he saw the labour of existence; and this labour, recognised as such, was what…” quote by John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/john-berger-1590_artist_when-he-painted-a-road-the-roadmakers-we_385437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/john-berger-1590_artist_when-he-painted-a-road-the-roadmakers-we_385437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/john-berger-1590_artist_when-he-painted-a-road-the-roadmakers-we_385437.jpg) > “When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his imagination, when he painted the turned earth of a ploughed field, the gesture of the blade turning the earth was included in his own act. Whenever he looked he saw the labour of existence; and this labour, recognised as such, was what constituted reality for him. (On Vincent Van Gogh)” [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art reflects the labor of existence; the artist’s imagination integrates the physical act of creation. **In simple terms:** Creating art merges thought and physical work. Key Takeaway Value the process as much as the product. Themes art creativity labor reality Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - painting - sculpture - gardening - craftsmanship Key Concepts phenomenology embodiment Questions to Reflect On - In what ways does your work embody physical effort? - How does imagination shape your perception of reality? A Different Perspective May overlook the role of external constraints on artistic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blades/) [Constituted Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constituted-reality-3487845/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-labour-3487846/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagination Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination-painted-3051380/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-vincent-3487848/) [Roadmakers Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roadmakers-imagination-3487847/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Vans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vans/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vincent-van-gogh/) ## Related quotes > [Her imagination painted Georgie twenty years later, sitting in leg irons before some Broken psychiatrist. "Well, you see, it all started with bubbles...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/her-imagination-painted-georgie-twenty-years-later-sitting-in-leg/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/our-goals-can-only-be-reached-through-a-vehicle-of-a-plan-in-which-we/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Inarticulate wretches have been behind most of the major advances in civilization. If Vincent Van Gogh had been able to get on with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-lynch/inarticulate-wretches-have-been-behind-most-of-the-major-advances-in/) [Declan Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-lynch/) > [Then I abandoned comics for fine art because I had some romantic vision of being like Vincent Van Gogh Jr.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-griffith/then-i-abandoned-comics-for-fine-art-because-i-had-some-romantic/) [Bill Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-griffith/) > [I had a Vincent van Gogh, a small Provençal landscape. We sold it. If you're going to have a van Gogh it should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-berge/i-had-a-vincent-van-gogh-a-small-proven-al-landscape-we-sold-it-if/) [Pierre Berge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-berge/) > [I rage against Vincent van Gogh for needing to die at 37, after painting for only ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-rage-against-vincent-van-gogh-for-needing-to-die-at-37-after/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“A species in which everyone was General Patton would not succeed, any more than would a race in which everyone was Vincent van Gogh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-shawn/a-species-in-which-everyone-was-general-patton-would-not-succeed-any/) [Allen Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-shawn/) > [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist for example Vincent Van Gogh, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-for-example-vincent/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I have to accept my role. I will never kill myself like Vincent Van Gogh. Nor will I paint beautiful water lilies like Monet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-have-to-accept-my-role-i-will-never-kill-myself-like-vincent-van/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [ I will be an artist. I am sure I will. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/i-will-be-an-artist-i-am-sure-i-will-vincent-van-gogh/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Artists are mostly shits of the worst order. You wouldn't want one living next door to you. Think about it: Vincent Van Gogh living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-brakhage/artists-are-mostly-shits-of-the-worst-order-you-wouldn-t-want-one/) [Stan Brakhage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-brakhage/) > [“You have first to experience what you want to express. —Vincent van Gogh”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/you-have-first-to-experience-what-you-want-to-express-vincent-van-gogh/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [I've always been really fascinated by Vincent van Gogh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-ve-always-been-really-fascinated-by-vincent-van-gogh/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [ You cannot be the good all the time — sometimes it is necessary to get angry. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/you-cannot-be-the-good-all-the-time-sometimes-it-is-necessary-to-get/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“There's no question about it. The arts are an extremely high-risk situation. People are willing to take these extraordinary chances to become writers, musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-s-no-question-about-it-the-arts-are-an-extremely-high-risk/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by John Berger > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [The impulse to paint comes neither from observation nor from the soul (which is probably blind) but from an encounter: the encounter between painter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/the-impulse-to-paint-comes-neither-from-observation-nor-from-the-soul/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Oil painting did to appearances what capital did to social relations. It reduced everything to the equality of objects. Everything became exchangeable because everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/oil-painting-did-to-appearances-what-capital-did-to-social-relations/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Landscapes can be deceptive. Sometimes a landscape seems to be less a setting for the life of its inhabitants than a curtain behind which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/landscapes-can-be-deceptive-sometimes-a-landscape-seems-to-be-less-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We live in a dominant culture of ceaseless Departure and Progress that has so far lasted two or three centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/we-live-in-a-dominant-culture-of-ceaseless-departure-and-progress/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [My heart born naked was swaddled in lullabies. Later alone it wore poems for clothes. Like a shirt I carried on my back the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/my-heart-born-naked-was-swaddled-in-lullabies-later-alone-it-wore/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/there-s-the-artist-s-intimacy-and-truthfulness-to-himself-but-an/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Traditional Chinese art looked at the Earth from a Confucian mountain top; Japanese art looked closely around screens; Italian Renaissance art surveyed conquered nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/traditional-chinese-art-looked-at-the-earth-from-a-confucian-mountain/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/never-again-shall-a-single-story-be-told-as-though-it-were-the-only/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [In drawing after drawing, pastel after pastel, painting after painting, the contours of Degas's dancing figures become, at a certain point, darkly insistent, tangled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/in-drawing-after-drawing-pastel-after-pastel-painting-after-painting/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/we-never-look-at-just-one-thing-we-are-always-looking-at-the-relation/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We can become anything. That is why injustice is impossible here. There may be the accident of birth, there is no accident of death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/we-can-become-anything-that-is-why-injustice-is-impossible-here-there/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Capitalism survives by forcing the majority, whom it exploits, to define their own interests as narrowly as possible. This was once achieved by extensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/capitalism-survives-by-forcing-the-majority-whom-it-exploits-to/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [The camera relieves us of the burden of memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/the-camera-relieves-us-of-the-burden-of-memory/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [“Today we see the art of the past as nobody saw it before. We actually perceive it in a different way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/today-we-see-the-art-of-the-past-as-nobody-saw-it-before-we-actually/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) [Explore all 214 John Berger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) ## 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": "When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his imagination, when he painted the turned earth of a ploughed field, the gesture of the blade turning the earth was included in his own act. Whenever he looked he saw the labour of existence; and this labour, recognised as such, was what constituted reality for him. 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