--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Works of art are never finished, just…" description: "\"Works of art are never finished, just stopped.\" — Peter Greenaway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png" --- # Works of art are never finished, just stopped. ![“Works of art are never finished, just stopped.” quote by Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png) > “Works of art are never finished, just stopped.” [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## 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 never truly complete; it simply pauses when the creator stops working on it. **In simple terms:** Art stops, not ends. Key Takeaway Accept unfinished work as part of the process. Themes creativity art process Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - writing - film production - design projects Key Concepts completion impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How does stopping affect your perception of art? - Can a pause become a new beginning? A Different Perspective Unfinished pieces may feel unsatisfying to audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/) ## Related quotes > [I think it was Roger Fry who first coined what he took to be a final definition of a work of art, whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-think-it-was-roger-fry-who-first-coined-what-he-took-to-be-a-final/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [“One day, at least it seemed that fast, she just stopped wanting to be a part of anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/one-day-at-least-it-seemed-that-fast-she-just-stopped-wanting-to-be-a/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [Its not that I dont love you anymore, I just stopped caring what you were doing or who your doin it with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-that-i-dont-love-you-anymore-i-just-stopped-caring-what-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just stopped playing. I did some screenwriting and got into the nature thing. Music kind of went away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-squier/i-just-stopped-playing-i-did-some-screenwriting-and-got-into-the/) [Billy Squier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-squier/) > [I was probably tall as a child, but I just stopped growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-was-probably-tall-as-a-child-but-i-just-stopped-growing/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I wonder how long it would take for anyone to notice if I just stopped talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-wonder-how-long-it-would-take-for-anyone-to-notice-if-i-just/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I just stopped growing at about 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-leigh-cook/i-just-stopped-growing-at-about-15/) [Rachael Leigh Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-leigh-cook/) > [I never stopped loving you, its just I stopped showing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-stopped-loving-you-its-just-i-stopped-showing-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never stopped loving you, I just stopped letting it show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-stopped-loving-you-i-just-stopped-letting-it-show/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But of works of art little can be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/but-of-works-of-art-little-can-be-said/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Leo's goals are works of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rijkaard/leo-s-goals-are-works-of-art/) [Frank Rijkaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rijkaard/) > [They are works of art that can be considered works of art but don't have to be in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-heizer/they-are-works-of-art-that-can-be-considered-works-of-art-but-don-t/) [Michael Heizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-heizer/) > [Beauty is not the purpose of creation, it is its reward. 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You must take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/to-be-an-atheist-you-have-to-have-ten-thousand-times-more-imagination/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [An American critic wrote that she would rather be forced to read the New York telephone directory three times than watch the film A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/an-american-critic-wrote-that-she-would-rather-be-forced-to-read-the/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I like a lot of glasses about - it highers the tone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-like-a-lot-of-glasses-about-it-highers-the-tone/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [There are those who think that Zeffirelli's Hamlet is the way to treat Shakespeare. I think that cinema can handle much more. 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We do have some ability to manipulate sex nowadays. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-basically-only-two-subject-matters-in-all-western-culture/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Cinema doesn't connect with the body as artists have in two thousand years of painting, using the nude as the central figure which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/cinema-doesn-t-connect-with-the-body-as-artists-have-in-two-thousand/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Cinema is far too rich and capable a medium to be merely left to the storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/cinema-is-far-too-rich-and-capable-a-medium-to-be-merely-left-to-the/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Jean Renoir once suggested that most true creators have only one idea and spend their lives reworking it, but then very rapidly he added…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/jean-renoir-once-suggested-that-most-true-creators-have-only-one-idea/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Bill Viola is worth ten Scorseses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/bill-viola-is-worth-ten-scorseses/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Explore all 166 Peter Greenaway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## 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 > [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": "Works of art are never finished, just stopped.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Greenaway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-stopped/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-stopped/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/peter-greenaway-2444_art_works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-sto_2591603.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Works of art are never finished, just stopped.” — Peter Greenaway", "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": "Peter Greenaway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Works of art are never finished,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-stopped/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/works-of-art-are-never-finished-just-stopped/#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 } } ] } ```