--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were called upon to define briefly…" description: "\"If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg" --- # If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I… ![“If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of the soul.” quote by Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg) > “If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of the soul.” [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art is defined as reproducing sensory experiences of nature, filtered through the soul’s perspective, emphasizing perception and inner interpretation. **In simple terms:** Art mirrors nature through the soul’s eye. Key Takeaway Perceive and interpret nature. Themes art perception philosophy Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - painting - photography - design - creative writing Key Concepts aesthetic theory subjectivity sensory experience Questions to Reflect On - How does your inner view shape your art? - Can you separate perception from emotion? A Different Perspective Subjectivity may limit objective analysis; cultural bias influences perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term Art, I should call it 'the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/the-reproduction-of-what-the-senses-perceive-in-nature-through-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it-2/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The merit of painting lies in the exactness of reproduction. 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And if they do ask themselves about this, I wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/i-wonder-if-most-people-ever-ask-themselves-why-love-is-connected/) [Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The human egg is a Mrs. Bennet, desperate to marry off her daughters...It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sperm must be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-human-egg-is-a-mrs-bennet-desperate-to-marry-off-her-daughters-it/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) ## More by Paul Cezanne > [An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/an-art-which-isn-t-based-on-feeling-isn-t-an-art-at-all/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I am still searching for the expression of those confused sensations that we bring with us at birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/i-am-still-searching-for-the-expression-of-those-confused-sensations/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [You say a new era in art is preparing; you sensed it coming; continue your studies without weakening. God will do the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/you-say-a-new-era-in-art-is-preparing-you-sensed-it-coming-continue/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [A thousand painters ought to be killed yearly. Say what you like: I'm every inch a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/a-thousand-painters-ought-to-be-killed-yearly-say-what-you-like-i-m/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Taste is the best judge. It is rare. 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But it changes every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/people-think-how-a-sugar-basin-has-no-physiognomy-no-soul-but-it/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/the-day-is-coming-when-a-single-carrot-freshly-observed-will-set-off/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Shut your eyes, wait, think of nothing. Now, open them ... one sees nothing but a great coloured undulation. What then? An irradiation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/shut-your-eyes-wait-think-of-nothing-now-open-them-one-sees-nothing/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Painting is founded on the heart controlled by the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/painting-is-founded-on-the-heart-controlled-by-the-head/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Everything is about to disappear. You've got to hurry up if you still want to see things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/everything-is-about-to-disappear-you-ve-got-to-hurry-up-if-you-still/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) [Explore all 161 Paul Cezanne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) ## 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. 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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 > [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": "If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of the soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Cezanne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/paul-cezanne-2525_art_if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly_226818.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses…” — Paul Cezanne", "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": "Paul Cezanne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I were called upon to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/#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 } } ] } ```