--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted…" description: "\"Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as we personally see it, is worth all the endless banalities of the Schools, all those dreary p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg" --- # Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as… ![“Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as we personally see it, is worth all the endless banalities of the Schools, all those dreary pictures concocted out of tobacco juice according to time-honored formulas?” quote by Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg) > “Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as we personally see it, is worth all the endless banalities of the Schools, all those dreary pictures concocted out of tobacco juice according to time-honored formulas?” [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. The speaker questions whether a simple, naive depiction of carrots can outweigh the endless, formulaic banalities of academic art. **In simple terms:** Simple art may surpass stale academic conventions. Key Takeaway Value authenticity over formulaic tradition. Themes art authenticity critique Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - gallery curation - art education - creative practice Key Concepts aesthetic naïveté Questions to Reflect On - What defines “real” art? - How do you balance simplicity and depth? A Different Perspective Academic art can have merit despite formula. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [What concerns me most is the horrible degradation our notions of truth, civility, and decency have undergone. Also the way that language has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-concerns-me-most-is-the-horrible-degradation-our-notions-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Fight fire with fire. If you must have bores, always put them together or at the same table ... bores have an effervescent chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/fight-fire-with-fire-if-you-must-have-bores-always-put-them-together/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doe/on-the-subway-today-a-man-came-up-to-me-to-start-a-conversation-he/) [John Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doe/) > [“There seemed no particular object in avoiding banality from the start, as the evening showed every sign of developing into a banal one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/there-seemed-no-particular-object-in-avoiding-banality-from-the-start/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the image, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/i-really-like-the-idea-of-banality-and-repetition-being-used-to/) [Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/) > [Language is in decline. Not only has eloquence departed but simple, direct speech as well, though pomposity and banality have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/language-is-in-decline-not-only-has-eloquence-departed-but-simple/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [I was filled with angst in college, that I struggled with the question of my future, the meaning of my life - spoiled sheltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-was-filled-with-angst-in-college-that-i-struggled-with-the-question/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [Understanding a people's culture exposes their normalness without reducing their particularity...It renders them accessible: setting them in the frame of their own banalities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/understanding-a-people-s-culture-exposes-their-normalness-without/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [“A plain circular bullet is widely disdained for its banality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-de-bartolo/a-plain-circular-bullet-is-widely-disdained-for-its-banality/) Carolina de Bartolo > [My life is short. I can't listen to banality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/my-life-is-short-i-can-t-listen-to-banality/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/honest-criticism-and-sensitive-appreciation-are-directed-not-upon-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Spirituality can be severed from both vicious sectarianism and thoughtless banalities. Spirituality, I have come to see, is nothing less than the thoughtful love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/spirituality-can-be-severed-from-both-vicious-sectarianism-and/) [Robert C. Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-solomon/) > [Once you start rewriting, you're not able to stop. With each draft the fundamental banality and worthlessness of the material becomes more evident even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-n-malzberg/once-you-start-rewriting-you-re-not-able-to-stop-with-each-draft-the/) [Barry N. Malzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-n-malzberg/) ## 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. Art only addresses itself to an excessively small number of individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/taste-is-the-best-judge-it-is-rare-art-only-addresses-itself-to-an/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [You have to hurry up if you want to see something, everything disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/you-have-to-hurry-up-if-you-want-to-see-something-everything/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [With an apple I will astonish Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/with-an-apple-i-will-astonish-paris/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/a-work-of-art-which-did-not-begin-in-emotion-is-not-art/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [All the theories mess you up inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/all-the-theories-mess-you-up-inside/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [People think how a sugar basin has no physiognomy, no soul. 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/) > [If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) [Explore all 161 Paul Cezanne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) ## More Banality quotes > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Spirituality can be severed from both vicious sectarianism and thoughtless banalities. Spirituality, I have come to see, is nothing less than the thoughtful love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/spirituality-can-be-severed-from-both-vicious-sectarianism-and/) [Robert C. Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-solomon/) > [Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/honest-criticism-and-sensitive-appreciation-are-directed-not-upon-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [My life is short. I can't listen to banality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/my-life-is-short-i-can-t-listen-to-banality/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [“A plain circular bullet is widely disdained for its banality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-de-bartolo/a-plain-circular-bullet-is-widely-disdained-for-its-banality/) Carolina de Bartolo > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [Understanding a people's culture exposes their normalness without reducing their particularity...It renders them accessible: setting them in the frame of their own banalities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/understanding-a-people-s-culture-exposes-their-normalness-without/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [I was filled with angst in college, that I struggled with the question of my future, the meaning of my life - spoiled sheltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-was-filled-with-angst-in-college-that-i-struggled-with-the-question/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [Language is in decline. Not only has eloquence departed but simple, direct speech as well, though pomposity and banality have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/language-is-in-decline-not-only-has-eloquence-departed-but-simple/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the image, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/i-really-like-the-idea-of-banality-and-repetition-being-used-to/) [Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/) > [“There seemed no particular object in avoiding banality from the start, as the evening showed every sign of developing into a banal one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/there-seemed-no-particular-object-in-avoiding-banality-from-the-start/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doe/on-the-subway-today-a-man-came-up-to-me-to-start-a-conversation-he/) [John Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doe/) > [Fight fire with fire. If you must have bores, always put them together or at the same table ... bores have an effervescent chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/fight-fire-with-fire-if-you-must-have-bores-always-put-them-together/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [What concerns me most is the horrible degradation our notions of truth, civility, and decency have undergone. Also the way that language has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-concerns-me-most-is-the-horrible-degradation-our-notions-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Once you start rewriting, you're not able to stop. With each draft the fundamental banality and worthlessness of the material becomes more evident even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-n-malzberg/once-you-start-rewriting-you-re-not-able-to-stop-with-each-draft-the/) [Barry N. Malzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-n-malzberg/) Browse all 124 Banality quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as we personally see it, is worth all the endless banalities of the Schools, all those dreary pictures concocted out of tobacco juice according to time-honored formulas?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Cezanne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted-naively-just-as-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Banality" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted-naively-just-as-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/paul-cezanne-2525_banality_surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted_2888265.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Surely, a single bunch of carrots painted naively, just as we personally see it, is worth all the endless…” — 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": "Surely, a single bunch of carrots...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted-naively-just-as-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/surely-a-single-bunch-of-carrots-painted-naively-just-as-we/#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 } } ] } ```