--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A painter should begin every canvas with…" description: "\"A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.\" — Leonardo da Vinci" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg" --- # A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black… ![“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” quote by Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg) > “A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests that understanding begins with recognizing the inherent unknown or hidden aspects of reality, and that illumination—knowledge, insight—reveals what is otherwise concealed. **In simple terms:** Start with the unknown, let light reveal. Key Takeaway Truth emerges from darkness. Themes perception knowledge contrast clarity process Mood thoughtful inquisitive reflective Type philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - initial brainstorming - problem framing - data gathering - early design - conceptual sketching Key Concepts darkness light exposure canvas painting Practical Applications - creative ideation - strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions remain hidden before analysis? - How does illumination change your view? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Begin Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-canvas-326755/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Exposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposed/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-begin-326754/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Wash Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wash-black-326753/) ## Related quotes > [“Leanoardo wrote that a painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/leanoardo-wrote-that-a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [No one can say if you are that person who, given good paint, good brushes, and a fine canvas, can produce something better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wroblewski/no-one-can-say-if-you-are-that-person-who-given-good-paint-good/) [David Wroblewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wroblewski/) > [My belief is that it is most important for an artist to develop an approach and philosophy about life - if he has developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-lawrence/my-belief-is-that-it-is-most-important-for-an-artist-to-develop-an/) [Jacob Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-lawrence/) > [that's exactly what climbing is to me. ... Expression. What a painter does on a canvas, what a writer can do with the twenty-six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-allison/that-s-exactly-what-climbing-is-to-me-expression-what-a-painter-does/) [Stacy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-allison/) > [Poultry is for the cook what canvas is for the painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/poultry-is-for-the-cook-what-canvas-is-for-the-painter/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [The general ideas which are expressed in sketches, correspond very well to the art often used in poetry... every reader making out the detail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-reynolds/the-general-ideas-which-are-expressed-in-sketches-correspond-very/) [Joshua Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-reynolds/) > [The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/i-don-t-go-into-the-studio-with-the-idea-of-saying-something-what-i/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [Before a painter puts a brush to his canvas, he sees his picture mentally… If you think of yourself in terms of a painting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dreier/before-a-painter-puts-a-brush-to-his-canvas-he-sees-his-picture/) [Thomas Dreier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dreier/) > [The work ethic at art school is completely different than the work ethic amongst people who get into music. People who paint, it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/the-work-ethic-at-art-school-is-completely-different-than-the-work/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Colour, as the strange and magnificent expression of the inscrutable spectrum of Eternity, is beautiful and important to me as a painter; I use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/colour-as-the-strange-and-magnificent-expression-of-the-inscrutable/) [Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/) > [Paint records the most delicate gesture and the most tense. It tells whether the painter sat or stood or crouched in front of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/paint-records-the-most-delicate-gesture-and-the-most-tense-it-tells/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [The Metropolitan Museum of Art some time ago held a display of contemporary art at which $52,000 was awarded to American sculptors, painters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-keller/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-some-time-ago-held-a-display-of/) [James Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-keller/) > [Man offers himself to God. He stands before Him like the canvas before the painter or the marble before the sculptor. At the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/man-offers-himself-to-god-he-stands-before-him-like-the-canvas-before/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) > [What I did for my last act as a painter, if you call me a painter, was to photograph the weave of the canvas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/what-i-did-for-my-last-act-as-a-painter-if-you-call-me-a-painter-was/) [Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/) ## More by Leonardo da Vinci > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nothing can be love or hated unless it is first known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nothing-can-be-love-or-hated-unless-it-is-first-known/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/an-arch-consists-of-two-weaknesses-which-leaning-one-against-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/your-brain-is-much-better-than-you-think-just-use-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Necessity is a guardian in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/necessity-is-a-guardian-in-nature/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To be a winner you must want to win but must know of the chance of losing and must not fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/to-be-a-winner-you-must-want-to-win-but-must-know-of-the-chance-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that among trees of the same kind there would not be found one which nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nature-is-so-delightful-and-abundant-in-its-variations-that-among/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Wisdom is the daughter of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wisdom-is-the-daughter-of-experience/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/depth-and-strength-of-a-human-character-are-defined-by-its-moral/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Explore all 664 Leonardo da Vinci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## 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": "A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonardo da Vinci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/leonardo-da-vinci-330_art_a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with_7330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where…” — Leonardo da Vinci", "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": "Leonardo da Vinci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A painter should begin every canvas...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/#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 } } ] } ```