--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artists erase reality to a greater or…" description: "\"Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.\" — Semir Zeki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg" --- # Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and… ![“Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.” quote by Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg) > “Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.” [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) ## 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 suggests that artistic creation involves discarding objective reality and constructing a subjective, brain‑generated version of the world. **In simple terms:** Art replaces external reality with internal perception. Key Takeaway Art is a mental reconstruction of reality. Themes perception creativity subjectivity representation cognition Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - painting - film making - digital design - sculpture Key Concepts visual perception neural processing subjective experience Practical Applications - art education - therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does personal perception shape artistic expression? - In what ways can art reveal hidden aspects of reality? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [You have to start somewhere. You can always erase reality later on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/you-have-to-start-somewhere-you-can-always-erase-reality-later-on/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/i-shall-ask-for-brains-instead-of-a-heart-for-a-fool-would-not-know/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical-and-psychological-thrill-of/) [Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/) > [Rhetoric is no substitute for reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/rhetoric-is-no-substitute-for-reality/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Every fancy that we would substitute for a reality is, if we saw aright, and saw the whole, not only false, but every way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sterling/every-fancy-that-we-would-substitute-for-a-reality-is-if-we-saw/) [John Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sterling/) > [The picture is the imitation and converted reality of the goods, in short, an indirect substitute for reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-bayer/the-picture-is-the-imitation-and-converted-reality-of-the-goods-in/) [Herbert Bayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-bayer/) > [The news automatically becomes the real world for the TV user and is not a substitute for reality, but is itself an immediate reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-news-automatically-becomes-the-real-world-for-the-tv-user-and-is/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“Reality is based on your perception of the truth. Think about that statement for a bit, it will blow your mind, and blow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-aitchison/reality-is-based-on-your-perception-of-the-truth-think-about-that/) [Steven Aitchison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-aitchison/) > [“Reality is created through intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/reality-is-created-through-intentions/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams created on my own terms, than one successful reality, created on the terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/i-would-rather-live-a-life-with-a-hundred-failed-dreams-created-on-my/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [Meaning is made in conversation, reality is created in communication, and knowledge is generated through social interaction… Language is the vehicle through which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-whitney/meaning-is-made-in-conversation-reality-is-created-in-communication/) Diana Whitney > [“a larger reality which had not been created for my benefit, from whose judgments there was no appeal, in the heart of which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-larger-reality-which-had-not-been-created-for-my-benefit-from-whose/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Thank God for the reality for which we were created, a moment-by-moment communication with God himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/thank-god-for-the-reality-for-which-we-were-created-a-moment-by/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [“We can make our own plans and judge them by our narrow expectations, or we can experience life as the boundless reality of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-sprink/we-can-make-our-own-plans-and-judge-them-by-our-narrow-expectations/) [Holly Sprink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-sprink/) > [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-normal-expectations-about-reality-are-created-by-a-social/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) ## More by Semir Zeki > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Any artistic achievement that is tailored to conform to social demands rather than to the real, uninhibited, feelings of its creator, is destined not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/any-artistic-achievement-that-is-tailored-to-conform-to-social/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [The Japanese, if I understand them, are masters of the unsaid and the unstated, of subtlety and ambiguity, all of which constitute powerful stimulants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/the-japanese-if-i-understand-them-are-masters-of-the-unsaid-and-the/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [The reaction was immediate. The blood flow was in proportion to how much the painting was liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/the-reaction-was-immediate-the-blood-flow-was-in-proportion-to-how/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Laughter is very infectious, and why it should be so is a most interesting neurological problem. But it also has other, more physiological, benefits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/laughter-is-very-infectious-and-why-it-should-be-so-is-a-most/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [I view all art as an effort to translate brain concepts into a work. These brain concepts are synthetic ones - the result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/i-view-all-art-as-an-effort-to-translate-brain-concepts-into-a-work/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [I have the strong suspicion that when the brain's greed system is in operation, those parts of the brain that regulate ethical conduct are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/i-have-the-strong-suspicion-that-when-the-brain-s-greed-system-is-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Most artists, or at least most of the ones I know, deny having a philosophical outlook that they try to translate into their works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/most-artists-or-at-least-most-of-the-ones-i-know-deny-having-a/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [I can really recommend a beautifully but sparsely furnished room with empty walls!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/i-can-really-recommend-a-beautifully-but-sparsely-furnished-room-with/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [What is creative is the seeking of perfection - and not attaining it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/what-is-creative-is-the-seeking-of-perfection-and-not-attaining-it/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Self-censorship, whether known or unknown, is an unwelcome brake on creativity; it stifles self-expression and hence prevents a work from reaching the heights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/self-censorship-whether-known-or-unknown-is-an-unwelcome-brake-on/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [The female brain may confer distinctive economic advantages, to the benefit of all, and we should, therefore, pursue seriously having equal numbers of women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/the-female-brain-may-confer-distinctive-economic-advantages-to-the/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [I gather that the dopaminergic system in the reward centres of the brain respond even more vigorously to the expectation of reward than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/i-gather-that-the-dopaminergic-system-in-the-reward-centres-of-the/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [I always expect the worst from this evil and wicked world and am often pleasantly surprised when the worst does not come to pass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/i-always-expect-the-worst-from-this-evil-and-wicked-world-and-am/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Perhaps there is a minimum distance that should separate one exhibit from another... Indeed those specialized in psychophysics have actually come up with some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/perhaps-there-is-a-minimum-distance-that-should-separate-one-exhibit/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) [Explore all 22 Semir Zeki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) ## 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": "Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Semir Zeki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/semir-zeki-25396_art_artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-le_82488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their…” — Semir Zeki", "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": "Semir Zeki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Artists erase reality to a greater...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/#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 } } ] } ```