--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Painter after painter, since the…" description: "\"Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century, has tended toward abstraction. First, the Impressionists simplified the landscape in terms o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg" --- # Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century… ![“Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century, has tended toward abstraction. First, the Impressionists simplified the landscape in terms of color, and then the Fauves simplified it again by adding distortion, which, for some reason, is a characteristic of our century.” quote by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg) > “Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century, has tended toward abstraction. First, the Impressionists simplified the landscape in terms of color, and then the Fauves simplified it again by adding distortion, which, for some reason, is a characteristic of our century.” [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote observes a historical trend toward abstraction in art, noting how each movement simplifies reality further, reflecting modern sensibilities. **In simple terms:** Modern art increasingly abstracts reality. Key Takeaway Embrace simplification in creative work. Themes art abstraction modernism history progression Mood reflective analytical Type critical historical When to use this quote - museum curation - art education - creative brainstorming - design critique - gallery tours Key Concepts visual simplification century characteristic cultural shift Questions to Reflect On - How does abstraction change viewer perception? - What drives artists to simplify forms? A Different Perspective Abstraction can alienate audiences seeking realism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstraction Impressionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction-impressionists-4055541/) [Again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Impressionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressionists/) [Impressionists Simplified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressionists-simplified-4055542/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-beginning-4055543/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [Impressionism is only direct sensation. All great painters were less or more impressionists. It is mainly a question of instinct, and much simpler than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/impressionism-is-only-direct-sensation-all-great-painters-were-less/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I also became inspired by impressionist painters such as Renoir, and wanted to do the same sort of thing with music-portray whatever mood strikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-breau/i-also-became-inspired-by-impressionist-painters-such-as-renoir-and/) [Lenny Breau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-breau/) > [In his lifetime the great French impressionist painter Corot painted 2000 canvases. Of that number, 3000 are in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/in-his-lifetime-the-great-french-impressionist-painter-corot-painted/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [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/) > [I am a good horse to travel, but not from choice a roadster. The landscape-painter uses the figures of men to mark a road.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-a-good-horse-to-travel-but-not-from-choice-a-roadster-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I define Inner Space as an imaginary realm in which on the one hand the outer world of reality, and on the other the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-define-inner-space-as-an-imaginary-realm-in-which-on-the-one-hand/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Knowing is a veneer out minds create and lay over the landscape like a painter's drop cloth set upon a forest floor. Its uniformity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kramer/knowing-is-a-veneer-out-minds-create-and-lay-over-the-landscape-like/) [Greg Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kramer/) > [While it is emotion that gives an impulse to the landscape painter, it is his style that inspires the critic's praise, and his subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/while-it-is-emotion-that-gives-an-impulse-to-the-landscape-painter-it/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [The portrait painter... If he insults his sitters his occupation is gone. Whether he paints the should instead of the features, or the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/the-portrait-painter-if-he-insults-his-sitters-his-occupation-is-gone/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [To be a landscape painter is to be a perverse individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-kahn/to-be-a-landscape-painter-is-to-be-a-perverse-individual/) [Wolf Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-kahn/) > [I'm just a landscape painter. I look out the window and I see what's going on, and I paint it. While I'm painting it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-just-a-landscape-painter-i-look-out-the-window-and-i-see-what-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Take away a painter's vanity, said a famous landscape painter, and he will never touch a pencil again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/take-away-a-painter-s-vanity-said-a-famous-landscape-painter-and-he/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature careers; think of Adolf Hitler (landscape painter), Ho Chi Minh (seaman), and our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/heads-of-state-are-notoriously-ill-prepared-for-their-mature-careers/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [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/) > [At the end of the day, no amount of investing, no amount of clean electrons, no amount of energy efficiency will save the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-end-of-the-day-no-amount-of-investing-no-amount-of-clean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Marcel Duchamp > [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/) > [Humor is the only reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/humor-is-the-only-reason-to-live/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I believe that the artist doesn't know what he does. I attach even more importance to the spectator than to the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-believe-that-the-artist-doesn-t-know-what-he-does-i-attach-even/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Living is more a question of what one spends than what one makes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/living-is-more-a-question-of-what-one-spends-than-what-one-makes/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Rational intelligence is dangerous and leads to ratiocination. The painter is a medium who doesn't realize what he is doing. No translation can express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/rational-intelligence-is-dangerous-and-leads-to-ratiocination-the/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Everything important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/everything-important-that-i-have-done-can-be-put-into-a-little/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [As soon as we start putting our thoughts into words and sentences everything gets distorted, language is just no damn good—I use it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/as-soon-as-we-start-putting-our-thoughts-into-words-and-sentences/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The basis for my own work during the years just before coming to America in 1915 was a desire to break up forms -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-basis-for-my-own-work-during-the-years-just-before-coming-to/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The curious thing about that moustache and goatee is that when you look at the Mona Lisa it becomes a man. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-curious-thing-about-that-moustache-and-goatee-is-that-when-you/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I am afraid to end up being in need to sell canvases - in other words, to be a society painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-am-afraid-to-end-up-being-in-need-to-sell-canvases-in-other-words/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [In the midst of each epoch, I fully realize that a new epoch will dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/in-the-midst-of-each-epoch-i-fully-realize-that-a-new-epoch-will-dawn/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [To all appearances the artist acts like a mediumistic being who, from the labyrinth beyond time and space, seeks his way out to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/to-all-appearances-the-artist-acts-like-a-mediumistic-being-who-from/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Words such as truth, art, veracity, or anything are stupid in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/words-such-as-truth-art-veracity-or-anything-are-stupid-in-themselves/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) [Explore all 169 Marcel Duchamp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) ## More Again quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/) [Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) [Browse all 2,975 Again quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century, has tended toward abstraction. First, the Impressionists simplified the landscape in terms of color, and then the Fauves simplified it again by adding distortion, which, for some reason, is a characteristic of our century.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Duchamp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/painter-after-painter-since-the-beginning-of-the-century-has-tended/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Again" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/painter-after-painter-since-the-beginning-of-the-century-has-tended/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/marcel-duchamp-2390_again_painter-after-painter-since-the-beginnin_468575.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Painter after painter, since the beginning of the century, has tended toward abstraction. First, the…” — Marcel Duchamp", "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": "Marcel Duchamp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Painter after painter, since the beginning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/painter-after-painter-since-the-beginning-of-the-century-has-tended/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/painter-after-painter-since-the-beginning-of-the-century-has-tended/#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 } } ] } ```