--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An artist sees things not as they are…" description: "\"An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is.\" — Robert Beverly Hale" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg" --- # An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is. ![“An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is.” quote by Robert Beverly Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg) > “An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is.” Robert Beverly Hale ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An artist interprets reality through personal perception, not objective truth. **In simple terms:** Artists see through their own lens. Key Takeaway Recognize personal bias in creative work. Themes art perception subjectivity Mood reflective introspective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - painting - photography - writing - design - critique Key Concepts aesthetics interpretation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your mood shape your art? - Can you separate feeling from observation? A Different Perspective Personal bias can distort factual accuracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/no-great-artist-ever-sees-things-as-they-really-are-if-he-did-he/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“the artist sees things that normal people are in too big a hurry to see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-charnock/the-artist-sees-things-that-normal-people-are-in-too-big-a-hurry-to/) Anne Charnock > [The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-artist-sees-what-others-only-catch-a-glimpse-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Not Everyone Sees Things in the Same Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-everyone-sees-things-in-the-same-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Each of us sees things not as they are but as we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-provonsha/each-of-us-sees-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-we-are/) [Jack Provonsha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-provonsha/) > [Time, which sees all things, has found you out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/time-which-sees-all-things-has-found-you-out/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [The eye that sees all things,sees not itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russyb/the-eye-that-sees-all-things-sees-not-itself/) Russyb > [I think John Landgraf sees things in the same way I do. We see eye to eye on a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/i-think-john-landgraf-sees-things-in-the-same-way-i-do-we-see-eye-to/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [Faith sees things that are out of sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennilyn-pecasis/faith-sees-things-that-are-out-of-sight/) [Jennilyn Pecasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennilyn-pecasis/) > [What do they not see, who see Him Who sees all things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/what-do-they-not-see-who-see-him-who-sees-all-things/) [Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/) > [A government which is not liked by the artists is certainly a bad government, because artist sees very well what is behind the masks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-government-which-is-not-liked-by-the-artists-is-certainly-a-bad/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [It seems to me that what the artist sees is the simple and obvious that is invisible to everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/it-seems-to-me-that-what-the-artist-sees-is-the-simple-and-obvious/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [“A true artist sees the rays of the sun, while others are still groping in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/a-true-artist-sees-the-rays-of-the-sun-while-others-are-still-groping/) Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann > [The artist alone sees spirits. But after he has told of their appearing to him, everybody sees them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-artist-alone-sees-spirits-but-after-he-has-told-of-their/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [A wife, a lover, can perhaps never see what the artist sees They rarely ever do. Perhaps a really mediocre artist has more chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-wife-a-lover-can-perhaps-never-see-what-the-artist-sees-they-rarely/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) ## More by Robert Beverly Hale > [First we draw what we see; then we draw what we know; finally we see what we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/first-we-draw-what-we-see-then-we-draw-what-we-know-finally-we-see/) Robert Beverly Hale > [Drawing is like studying Greek and piano- you can't speak or play in your conscious, which is clumsy. You must get it into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/drawing-is-like-studying-greek-and-piano-you-can-t-speak-or-play-in/) Robert Beverly Hale > [First you draw what you see. Next, you draw what you know, and only then will you know what it is that you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/first-you-draw-what-you-see-next-you-draw-what-you-know-and-only-then/) Robert Beverly Hale Explore all 4 Robert Beverly Hale quotes ## 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": "An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Beverly Hale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-he-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-he-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/robert-beverly-hale-66483_art_an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-bu_1772012.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An artist sees things not as they are, but as he is.” — Robert Beverly Hale", "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": "Robert Beverly Hale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-beverly-hale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An artist sees things not as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-he-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-beverly-hale/an-artist-sees-things-not-as-they-are-but-as-he-is/#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 } } ] } ```