--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great paintings are the ones with the…" description: "\"The great paintings are the ones with the most subtle value relationships. The closer you could bring your values and still distinguish between them, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/john-f-carlson-25416_artist_the-great-paintings-are-the-ones-with-th_488088.jpg" --- # The great paintings are the ones with the most subtle… ![“The great paintings are the ones with the most subtle value relationships. The closer you could bring your values and still distinguish between them, the stronger you were as a painter.” quote by John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/john-f-carlson-25416_artist_the-great-paintings-are-the-ones-with-th_488088.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/john-f-carlson-25416_artist_the-great-paintings-are-the-ones-with-th_488088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/john-f-carlson-25416_artist_the-great-paintings-are-the-ones-with-th_488088.jpg) > “The great paintings are the ones with the most subtle value relationships. The closer you could bring your values and still distinguish between them, the stronger you were as a painter.” [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great art balances subtle value contrasts; distinguishing close values shows mastery. **In simple terms:** Subtle differences in tone make a painting strong. Key Takeaway Practice nuanced tonal control. Themes art technique perception Mood educational inspirational Type artistic technical When to use this quote - painting lessons - art education - gallery critique - visual design Key Concepts visual hierarchy color theory Questions to Reflect On - How can artists maintain balance between subtlety and clarity? - What exercises improve tonal discrimination? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on subtlety can obscure clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [Value of relationships is not how much you feel happy with someone. 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Value your relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/value-your-friendship-value-your-relationships/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [“The core of PR ((public relations) is strongest where our identity and value relationships are built through sharing and caring interactions, not sold through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/the-core-of-pr-public-relations-is-strongest-where-our-identity-and/) [Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/) > [“I learned an enormous lesson about the value of relationships in doing business. In business interactions it is not just who you know, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lewis/i-learned-an-enormous-lesson-about-the-value-of-relationships-in/) [Edward Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lewis/) > [“He laughed. “What’s to say? Great paintings—people flock to see them, they draw crowds, they’re reproduced endlessly on coffee mugs and mouse pads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/he-laughed-what-s-to-say-great-paintings-people-flock-to-see-them/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [If you're a painter, it's simply taken for granted that you'll spend a lot of time in museums studying great paintings, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/if-you-re-a-painter-it-s-simply-taken-for-granted-that-you-ll-spend-a/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [“My wife and I had called on Miss Stein, and she and the friend who lived with her had been very cordial and friendly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/my-wife-and-i-had-called-on-miss-stein-and-she-and-the-friend-who-2/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [It seems strange that some artists fear a blank canvas, when it has been a major contributory factor to great paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-luiz/it-seems-strange-that-some-artists-fear-a-blank-canvas-when-it-has/) [David Luiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-luiz/) > [That's the great thing about art. 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It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [“Her beauty was much more subtle – like a gentle scent that lingered and took time to appreciate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-luke/her-beauty-was-much-more-subtle-like-a-gentle-scent-that-lingered-and/) [Jason Luke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-luke/) > [Photography's potential as a great image-maker and communicator is really no different from the same potential in the best poetry where familiar, everyday words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-caponigro/photography-s-potential-as-a-great-image-maker-and-communicator-is/) [Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-caponigro/) ## More by John F. Carlson > [We must not imitate the externals of nature with so much fidelity that the picture fails to evoke that wonderful teasing recurrence of emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/we-must-not-imitate-the-externals-of-nature-with-so-much-fidelity/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [You will learn to paint trees only by understanding them, their growth, their nature, their movement - and realizing that they are conscious living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/you-will-learn-to-paint-trees-only-by-understanding-them-their-growth/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [A work of art in paint should be beautiful and expressive as abstract colour and form and should not interest us necessarily in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/a-work-of-art-in-paint-should-be-beautiful-and-expressive-as-abstract/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Art is a thing so much of the imagination, of the soul, that it is difficult to descend to the fundamentals of technique and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/art-is-a-thing-so-much-of-the-imagination-of-the-soul-that-it-is/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Good colour really means good taste; and 'powerful' colour means a reserve, to give a climax its full force, and not 'red, white, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/good-colour-really-means-good-taste-and-powerful-colour-means-a/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [If you're going to paint from photos, make sure you've painted for at least ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/if-you-re-going-to-paint-from-photos-make-sure-you-ve-painted-for-at/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Clouds are fascinating to paint because they are the only element in a landscape that possesses free movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/clouds-are-fascinating-to-paint-because-they-are-the-only-element-in/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Trust your feelings entirely about colour, and then, even if you arrive at no infallible colour theory, you will at least have the credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/trust-your-feelings-entirely-about-colour-and-then-even-if-you-arrive/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [This art of conservation is strength, and makes the masterpiece a masterpiece. Otherwise, the man who simply brought all the different colors obtainable, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/this-art-of-conservation-is-strength-and-makes-the-masterpiece-a/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [The eye and soul are caressed in the contemplation of form and colour. The subtle changes of colour over a surface - transitions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/the-eye-and-soul-are-caressed-in-the-contemplation-of-form-and-colour/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [It is a curious fact that out-of-door nature is to the beginner an enormously overloaded 'property room.' He sees, for instance, the myriad of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/it-is-a-curious-fact-that-out-of-door-nature-is-to-the-beginner-an/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Too much reality in a picture is always a disappointment to the imaginative soul. We love suggestion and not hard facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/too-much-reality-in-a-picture-is-always-a-disappointment-to-the/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [Reserve is strength; overstatement is weakness. No one cares to hear the singer's topmost notes when the voice is 'nigh onto breaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/reserve-is-strength-overstatement-is-weakness-no-one-cares-to-hear/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [A picture is a work of art, not because it is 'modern,' nor because it is 'ancient,' but because it is a sincere expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/a-picture-is-a-work-of-art-not-because-it-is-modern-nor-because-it-is/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [In the anxiety to get beautiful colour harmony do not exhaust all combinations on one canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/in-the-anxiety-to-get-beautiful-colour-harmony-do-not-exhaust-all/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) [Explore all 23 John F. Carlson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) ## 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 > [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. 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