--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The object isn't to make art, it's to be…" description: "\"The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.\" — Robert Henri" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png" --- # The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful… ![“The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” quote by Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png) > “The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art emerges naturally when one is in a state of flow, not by forced creation. **In simple terms:** Art follows a wonderful state. Key Takeaway Cultivate conditions for creative flow. Themes creativity flow artistic process Mood inspired peaceful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - painting - music composition Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What conditions help you enter flow? - How do you protect that state? A Different Perspective External pressures can disrupt the natural flow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bad ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-ass/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [New beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-beginnings/) [Serendipity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serendipity/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/don-t-think-about-making-art-just-get-it-done-let-everyone-else/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I always think that art is one of the most wonderful exciting curious ways to learn. I have no worries or apologies about art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-always-think-that-art-is-one-of-the-most-wonderful-exciting-curious/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [No one, though has to go to college to make or understand or enjoy art. Wonderful artists and critics - some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/no-one-though-has-to-go-to-college-to-make-or-understand-or-enjoy-art/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/fine-art-is-something-wonderful-that-s-left-long-into-the-future/) [Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/) > [Art is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-sutter/art-is-a-wonderful-thing-if-one-does-not-have-to-earn-one-s-living-at/) [Rick Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-sutter/) > [Cooking may be a creative art, but it's also a wonderful full-time hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/cooking-may-be-a-creative-art-but-it-s-also-a-wonderful-full-time/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [I know how art has come in and really changed my life, so to give these children that opportunity just to come into contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-know-how-art-has-come-in-and-really-changed-my-life-so-to-give/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [I think that experiencing through art is a wonderful way to expand the horizon and everything around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/i-think-that-experiencing-through-art-is-a-wonderful-way-to-expand/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [“An artist is someone who makes art;only artist can create a work of art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asaid/an-artist-is-someone-who-makes-art-only-artist-can-create-a-work-of/) ASAID > [“The idea becomes a machine that makes art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-idea-becomes-a-machine-that-makes-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Whatever an artist's personal feelings are, as soon as an artist fills a certain area on the canvas or circumscribes it, he becomes historical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/whatever-an-artist-s-personal-feelings-are-as-soon-as-an-artist-fills-2/) [Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/) > [The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/the-idea-becomes-a-machine-that-makes-the-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [“The master painter makes art with any brush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeshi-konomi/the-master-painter-makes-art-with-any-brush/) [Takeshi Konomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeshi-konomi/) > [Money talks. It makes art. It determines what food we eat, whether we are cured or die, and what shoes we wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/money-talks-it-makes-art-it-determines-what-food-we-eat-whether-we/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Art is what we call...the thing an artist does. It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/art-is-what-we-call-the-thing-an-artist-does-it-s-not-the-medium-or/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Robert Henri > [It is the common defect of modern art study. Too many students do not know why they draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-is-the-common-defect-of-modern-art-study-too-many-students-do-not/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your only hope of satisfying others is in satisfying yourself. I speak of a great satisfaction, not a commercial satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-only-hope-of-satisfying-others-is-in-satisfying-yourself-i-speak/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Keep a bad drawing until by study you have found out why it is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/keep-a-bad-drawing-until-by-study-you-have-found-out-why-it-is-bad/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Self-education only produces expressions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/self-education-only-produces-expressions-of-self/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/genius-is-not-a-possession-of-the-limited-few-but-exists-in-some/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your painting is the marking of your progression into nature, a sensation of something you see way beyond the two pretty colors over there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-painting-is-the-marking-of-your-progression-into-nature-a/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-sketch-hunter-moves-through-life-as-he-finds-it-not-passing/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [There are pictures that manifest education and there are pictures that manifest love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/there-are-pictures-that-manifest-education-and-there-are-pictures/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [I am interested in the size of your intention. It is better to overstate the important than to understate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/i-am-interested-in-the-size-of-your-intention-it-is-better-to/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“We will be happy if we can get around to the idea that art is not an outside and extra thing; that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/we-will-be-happy-if-we-can-get-around-to-the-idea-that-art-is-not-an/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“It beats all the things that wealth can give and everything else in the world to say the things one believes, to put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-beats-all-the-things-that-wealth-can-give-and-everything-else-in/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“A GREAT PAINTER will know a great deal about how he did it, but still he will say, “How did I do it?” The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/a-great-painter-will-know-a-great-deal-about-how-he-did-it-but-still/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“Concentrate on a single feature – as, build all toward one eye – make all lines lead toward that eye. (Robert Henri)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/concentrate-on-a-single-feature-as-build-all-toward-one-eye-make-all/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Good composition is like a suspension bridge - each line adds strength and takes none away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/good-composition-is-like-a-suspension-bridge-each-line-adds-strength/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) [Explore all 207 Robert Henri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## 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": "The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Henri" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be-in-that-wonderful-state-which/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be-in-that-wonderful-state-which/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/robert-henri-1803_art_the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be_1015047.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” — Robert Henri", "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 Henri", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The object isn't to make art,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be-in-that-wonderful-state-which/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-object-isn-t-to-make-art-it-s-to-be-in-that-wonderful-state-which/#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 } } ] } ```