---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The artist should thus derive the freest…"
description: "\"“The artist should thus derive the freest possible inspiration from his dream images and strive toward a \"super realism\" in which the boundaries betwee..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png"
---

#  The artist should thus derive the freest possible…

![“The artist should thus derive the freest possible inspiration from his dream images and strive toward a &quot;super realism&quot; in which the boundaries between dream and reality were dissolved. For an artist too it can be necessary to break the censorship of the conscious and let words and images have…” quote by Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png)

> ““The artist should thus derive the freest possible inspiration from his dream images and strive toward a "super realism" in which the boundaries between dream and reality were dissolved. For an artist too it can be necessary to break the censorship of the conscious and let words and images have free play.””

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

## About This Quote

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

Artists should draw unrestricted inspiration from dreams, blurring dream and reality to achieve a super‑realistic style, freeing expression from conscious censorship.

**In simple terms:** Use dream imagery freely for art.

Key Takeaway

Let subconscious guide creative work.

Themes

creativity dreams expression freedom

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- painting
- writing
- film
- design
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

surrealism psychology art theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you capture fleeting dream images?
- What limits does conscious control impose on creativity?

A Different Perspective

Dreams may be vague, making consistent artistic translation difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-necessary-4639080/) [Boundaries Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries-dream-5071099/) [Dream Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-images-1924620/) [Dream reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-reality/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Free play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-play/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Realism Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism-boundaries-5071098/)

## Related quotes

> [We only dream of images we already have inside of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/we-only-dream-of-images-we-already-have-inside-of-us/)

[David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/)

> [The impact of a conscious artist is necessary, and it ripples through the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/the-impact-of-a-conscious-artist-is-necessary-and-it-ripples-through/)

[Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/)

> [To be an artist it is not necessary to make a living from our creations. Nor is it necessary to have work hanging in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-phillips/to-be-an-artist-it-is-not-necessary-to-make-a-living-from-our/)

[Jan Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-phillips/)

> [I have never looked for dream in reality or reality in dream. I have allowed my imagination free play, and I have not been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-moreau/i-have-never-looked-for-dream-in-reality-or-reality-in-dream-i-have/)

[Gustave Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-moreau/)

> [“the world becomes a dream, and the dream becomes reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-world-becomes-a-dream-and-the-dream-becomes-reality/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [What I mean by the Muse is that unimpeded clearness of the intuitive powers, which a perfectly truthful adherence to every admonition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/what-i-mean-by-the-muse-is-that-unimpeded-clearness-of-the-intuitive/)

[Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/)

> [Bizarrely, a lot of the innovations in free-to-play are coming out of the PC space rather than the mobile space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-molyneux/bizarrely-a-lot-of-the-innovations-in-free-to-play-are-coming-out-of/)

[Peter Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-molyneux/)

> [Science is not formal logic-it needs the free play of the mind in as great a degree as any other creative art. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/science-is-not-formal-logic-it-needs-the-free-play-of-the-mind-in-as/)

[Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/)

> [I think free-to-play is both exciting and also really dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-think-free-to-play-is-both-exciting-and-also-really-dangerous/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [What is contrary to women's nature to do, they never will be made to do by simply giving their nature free play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/what-is-contrary-to-women-s-nature-to-do-they-never-will-be-made-to/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing an artist paint, for in play a child says things without uttering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-erikson/you-see-a-child-play-and-it-is-so-close-to-seeing-an-artist-paint-for/)

[Erik Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-erikson/)

> [Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/genius-is-not-a-possession-of-the-limited-few-but-exists-in-some/)

[Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/)

> [“Send your kid to a summer camp focused on free play. One such place is Gever Tulley’s Tinkering School—a sleepover summer camp in Half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lythcott-haims/send-your-kid-to-a-summer-camp-focused-on-free-play-one-such-place-is/)

[Julie Lythcott-Haims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lythcott-haims/)

> [There's a myth that free-to-play is cheaper than a $60 game. It's just elastic. For some users, it winds up being a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-lasky/there-s-a-myth-that-free-to-play-is-cheaper-than-a-60-game-it-s-just/)

[Mitch Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-lasky/)

## More by Jostein Gaarder

> [“I no longer feel the need to see and sense more than I've already experienced. I just want so desperately to hang on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-no-longer-feel-the-need-to-see-and-sense-more-than-i-ve-already/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/where-did-the-world-come-from-the-question-has-an-answer-even-though/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“As soon as she concentrated on being alive now, the thought of dying also came into her mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/as-soon-as-she-concentrated-on-being-alive-now-the-thought-of-dying/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“Po haljini sam mogao da vidim kako njeno telo diše, jer se haljina dizala i spuštala, dizala i spuštala, skoro kao da morski talasi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/po-haljini-sam-mogao-da-vidim-kako-njeno-telo-di-e-jer-se-haljina/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [Since the Renaissance, people have had to get used to living their life on a random planet in the vast galaxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/since-the-renaissance-people-have-had-to-get-used-to-living-their/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“without imagination, nothing really new will ever be created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/without-imagination-nothing-really-new-will-ever-be-created/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“The German poet Goethe once said that "he who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth." I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-german-poet-goethe-once-said-that-he-who-cannot-draw-on-three/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“Sophie left the den and wandered about in the large garden. She tried to forget what she had learned at school, especially in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/sophie-left-the-den-and-wandered-about-in-the-large-garden-she-tried/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [...long before the child learns to talk properly-and long before it learns to think philosophically-the world will have become a habit. A pity, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/long-before-the-child-learns-to-talk-properly-and-long-before-it/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/any-one-question-can-be-more-explosive-than-a-thousand-answers/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“We can't own each other's past. The question is whether we have a future together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/we-can-t-own-each-other-s-past-the-question-is-whether-we-have-a/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“Uno no muere en medio del quinto acto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/uno-no-muere-en-medio-del-quinto-acto/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [“Wer das Schicksal durchschauen will, muss es überleben.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/wer-das-schicksal-durchschauen-will-muss-es-berleben/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

[Explore all 305 Jostein Gaarder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

## 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": "“The artist should thus derive the freest possible inspiration from his dream images and strive toward a \"super realism\" in which the boundaries between dream and reality were dissolved. For an artist too it can be necessary to break the censorship of the conscious and let words and images have free play.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jostein Gaarder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest-possible-inspiration-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest-possible-inspiration-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/066/jostein-gaarder-676_art_the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest_1427230.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The artist should thus derive the freest possible inspiration from his dream images and strive toward a…” — Jostein Gaarder",
                "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": "Jostein Gaarder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The artist should thus derive the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest-possible-inspiration-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-artist-should-thus-derive-the-freest-possible-inspiration-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
