---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a severe yet master artist old…"
description: "\"What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...\" — John Burroughs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png"
---

#  What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer…

![“What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...” quote by John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png)

> “What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...”

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Winter is portrayed as a demanding artist who reshapes the world from a fluid canvas into solid stone, requiring precise, forceful effort.

**In simple terms:** Winter carves the world like a sculptor with marble.

Key Takeaway

Nature can be a harsh, shaping force.

Themes

nature winter artistry transformation hardship

Mood

austere inspired

Type

metaphor observation

When to use this quote

- seasonal reflections
- creative inspiration
- survival scenarios

Key Concepts

metaphor of creation human‑nature relationship

Practical Applications

- embrace winter’s discipline for personal resilience
- use seasonal change as a creative catalyst

Questions to Reflect On

- How does adversity sculpt personal character?
- What can we learn from nature’s cycles?

A Different Perspective

Viewing winter solely as destructive overlooks its regenerative aspects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-old-1300272/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Chisels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chisels/) [Marble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marble/) [Master Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-artist-1300271/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Old Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-winter-1300273/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Pigment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pigment/) [Pigments Marble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pigments-marble-1300275/) [Severe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe/) [Severe Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe-master-1300274/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) [Winter days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter-days/) [Winter season](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter-season/) [Wintertime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wintertime/)

## Related quotes

> [Maybe nothing is art”, maybe everything is or could be art. To that, no doubt she would have responded like she did in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/maybe-nothing-is-art-maybe-everything-is-or-could-be-art-to-that-no/)

[Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/)

> [Up rose the wild old winter-king, And shook his beard of snow; "I hear the first young hard-bell ring, 'Tis time for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-godfrey-leland/up-rose-the-wild-old-winter-king-and-shook-his-beard-of-snow-i-hear/)

[Charles Godfrey Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-godfrey-leland/)

> [When I came up, there was room for the new and the old. For every new artist, an old one didn't have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/when-i-came-up-there-was-room-for-the-new-and-the-old-for-every-new/)

[Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/)

> [Hoary-headed old Winter, I have had enough of you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/hoary-headed-old-winter-i-have-had-enough-of-you/)

[Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/)

> [“A master's (an artist's) Modus Vivendi is to guide his creative self on the path of generating ideas, in a synergistic work resonating with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-profeanu/a-master-s-an-artist-s-modus-vivendi-is-to-guide-his-creative-self-on/)

[VIRGIL PROFEANU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-profeanu/)

> [Life is the greatest art of all, and the master artist is the man who is living the beautiful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-park/life-is-the-greatest-art-of-all-and-the-master-artist-is-the-man-who/)

[John Edgar Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-park/)

> [“Fine art refers to an accomplished or advanced skill being used to testify and reveal the knowledge, ability, and wisdom of the creator. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traci-lea-larussa/fine-art-refers-to-an-accomplished-or-advanced-skill-being-used-to/)

[Traci Lea LaRussa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traci-lea-larussa/)

> [In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-winter-the-stars-seem-to-have-rekindled-their-fires-the-moon/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Winter is the season of alcoholism and despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/winter-is-the-season-of-alcoholism-and-despair/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [Winter is not a season, it's an occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/winter-is-not-a-season-it-s-an-occupation/)

[Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/)

> [Only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-stout/only-in-the-winter-in-the-country-can-you-have-longer-quiet-stretches/)

[Ruth Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-stout/)

> [“Winter was nothing but a season of snow; spring, allergies; and summer...It was the worst. That was swimsuit season.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-lo/winter-was-nothing-but-a-season-of-snow-spring-allergies-and-summer/)

[Teresa Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-lo/)

> [I can sneeze, I can change the breeze to winter season. Wintergreen lime slime looks like Slimer sleepin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/i-can-sneeze-i-can-change-the-breeze-to-winter-season-wintergreen/)

[Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/)

> [There is no season such delight can bring, as summer, autumn, winter and the spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-browne/there-is-no-season-such-delight-can-bring-as-summer-autumn-winter-and/)

[William Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-browne/)

> [When death comes, it's just like winter. We don't say, "There ought not to be winter." That the winter season, when the leaves fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/when-death-comes-it-s-just-like-winter-we-don-t-say-there-ought-not/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

## More by John Burroughs

> [As life nears its end with me, I find myself meditating more and more upon the mystery of its nature and origin, yet without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/as-life-nears-its-end-with-me-i-find-myself-meditating-more-and-more/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Certainly in the United States, you have a constituency in the form of the weapons laboratories, and you also have the branches of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/certainly-in-the-united-states-you-have-a-constituency-in-the-form-of/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [When Darwin published his conclusion that man was descended from an apelike ancestor who was again descended from a still lower type, most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-darwin-published-his-conclusion-that-man-was-descended-from-an/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Maybe that will happen with other countries as well. And so, that's why one of the things that groups like mine that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/maybe-that-will-happen-with-other-countries-as-well-and-so-that-s-why/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [One can only learn his powers of action by action, and his powers of thought by thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-only-learn-his-powers-of-action-by-action-and-his-powers-of/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-was-born-with-a-chronic-anxiety-about-the-weather/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [When the woodpecker is searching for food, or laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his hammer is dead or muffled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-the-woodpecker-is-searching-for-food-or-laying-siege-to-some/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [In what bold relief stand out the lives of all walkers of the snow! The snow is a great tell-tale, and blabs as effectually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-what-bold-relief-stand-out-the-lives-of-all-walkers-of-the-snow/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [In October, a maple tree before your window lights up your room like a great lamp. Even on cloudy days, its presence helps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-october-a-maple-tree-before-your-window-lights-up-your-room-like-a/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [One can return to their place of birth, but one cannot go back to your youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-return-to-their-place-of-birth-but-one-cannot-go-back-to-your/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [I still find each day too short..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-still-find-each-day-too-short/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [“Go to the sea or climb the mountain, and with the ruggedest and the savagest you will find likewise the fairest and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/go-to-the-sea-or-climb-the-mountain-and-with-the-ruggedest-and-the/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

> [Nature is not benevolent; Nature is just, gives pound for pound, measure for measure, makes no exceptions, never tempers her decrees with mercy, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/nature-is-not-benevolent-nature-is-just-gives-pound-for-pound-measure/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

[Explore all 281 John Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

## More Art quotes

> [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/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“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/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Burroughs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/john-burroughs-1157_art_what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-wint_109004.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and…” — John Burroughs",
                "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": "John Burroughs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What a severe yet master artist...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
