--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not about perfection. What's a…" description: "\"It's not about perfection. What's a perfect painting? What's interesting about a perfect painting?\" — Peter Doig" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/peter-doig-23729_about_it-s-not-about-perfection-what-s-a-perfe_3055886.jpg" --- # It's not about perfection. What's a perfect painting?… ![“It's not about perfection. What's a perfect painting? What's interesting about a perfect painting?” quote by Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/peter-doig-23729_about_it-s-not-about-perfection-what-s-a-perfe_3055886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/peter-doig-23729_about_it-s-not-about-perfection-what-s-a-perfe_3055886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/peter-doig-23729_about_it-s-not-about-perfection-what-s-a-perfe_3055886.jpg) > “It's not about perfection. What's a perfect painting? What's interesting about a perfect painting?” [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) ## 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 challenges the pursuit of flawless art, suggesting that imperfection invites curiosity and meaning. **In simple terms:** Perfection in art is irrelevant; interest lies in imperfection. Key Takeaway Embrace flaws to spark engagement. Themes art creativity imperfection curiosity Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - personal projects - art education - collecting Key Concepts Aesthetic theory subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does imperfection affect your appreciation of art? - Can flawless work still be compelling? A Different Perspective Perfection may be a useful benchmark for technical skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) ## Related quotes > [Painting becomes interesting when it becomes timeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/painting-becomes-interesting-when-it-becomes-timeless/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [No one is perfect. It's not interesting to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/no-one-is-perfect-it-s-not-interesting-to-be-perfect/) [Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/) > [“I look up at the painting. It's not even that interesting. Definitely doesn't grab me and shake my brain around like the meadow scene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bachmann/i-look-up-at-the-painting-it-s-not-even-that-interesting-definitely/) [Stefan Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-bachmann/) > [“Snow on one side of the canvas, silence on the other. I’d call that a perfect painting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/snow-on-one-side-of-the-canvas-silence-on-the-other-i-d-call-that-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Painting is very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/painting-is-very-interesting/) [Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/) > [Sometimes I will portray the more normal-looking people as the monsters and then the more distorted - "uniquely formed" is the word I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mars/sometimes-i-will-portray-the-more-normal-looking-people-as-the/) [Chris Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mars/) > [Her sculptured face was as perfect as a painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/her-sculptured-face-was-as-perfect-as-a-painting/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It's easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/you-want-to-know-how-to-paint-a-perfect-painting-it-s-easy-make/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [You can't make a perfect painting. We can see perfection in our minds. But we can't make a perfect painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-martin/you-can-t-make-a-perfect-painting-we-can-see-perfection-in-our-minds/) [Agnes Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-martin/) > [There is no perfect painting and there is no perfect solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-hundley/there-is-no-perfect-painting-and-there-is-no-perfect-solution/) Elliott Hundley > [Painting doesn't have a function, not in the way that music or film does... I mean, you can dance to music. Music can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/painting-doesn-t-have-a-function-not-in-the-way-that-music-or-film/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [A photo is like a map, a way of giving me a foot into a kind of reality I want... I'm not trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/a-photo-is-like-a-map-a-way-of-giving-me-a-foot-into-a-kind-of/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [“Life is too short to look for perfection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-geissinger/life-is-too-short-to-look-for-perfection/) [J.T. Geissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-geissinger/) > [The pursuit of perfection is frustrating and a waste of time, because nothing is ever perfect. The pursuit of excellence is commendable and worthwhile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kulwicki/the-pursuit-of-perfection-is-frustrating-and-a-waste-of-time-because/) [Alan Kulwicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kulwicki/) > [Imperfections are what make you perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-tell/imperfections-are-what-make-you-perfect/) [Nia Tellé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-tell/) ## More by Peter Doig > [A photo is like a map, a way of giving me a foot into a kind of reality I want... I'm not trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/a-photo-is-like-a-map-a-way-of-giving-me-a-foot-into-a-kind-of/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [Painting doesn't have a function, not in the way that music or film does... I mean, you can dance to music. Music can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/painting-doesn-t-have-a-function-not-in-the-way-that-music-or-film/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [It's still an escape for me, painting, so it also takes me elsewhere. I don't think I would do it otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/it-s-still-an-escape-for-me-painting-so-it-also-takes-me-elsewhere-i/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [I'm not one of those artists having people there lying around on their paintings, you know, like Hockney or whoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/i-m-not-one-of-those-artists-having-people-there-lying-around-on/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [There could be a hundred paintings in every one painting, depending on when you stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/there-could-be-a-hundred-paintings-in-every-one-painting-depending-on/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [I think if I was Trinidadian, I would latch more on to the myths and romanticise the place more. 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Francis Bacon had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/you-cannot-just-be-working-in-a-vast-air-conditioned-loft-space-and/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [As an artist, you are aware there is this strange money market out there, but you have no sense of how it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/as-an-artist-you-are-aware-there-is-this-strange-money-market-out/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [I sometimes wish I had never had to sell a painting. Every painting you make represents the time it was made and how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/i-sometimes-wish-i-had-never-had-to-sell-a-painting-every-painting/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [I also learned that you are affected by your environment, even if you try not to be. Color, light that is, matters because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/i-also-learned-that-you-are-affected-by-your-environment-even-if-you/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) [Explore all 25 Peter Doig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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