--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one would want to pay a penny for an…" description: "\"No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty canvas were signed by a great artist. I would be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg" --- # No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by… ![“No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty canvas were signed by a great artist. I would be surprised if an empty canvas by Picasso or Matisse signed and inscribed with the words, 'I wanted to paint such and such on this canvas, but did…” quote by Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg) > “No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty canvas were signed by a great artist. I would be surprised if an empty canvas by Picasso or Matisse signed and inscribed with the words, 'I wanted to paint such and such on this canvas, but did not do so,' would not fetch thousands... After all, with an empty canvas, the possibilities are limitless, and so perhaps is the cash.” [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. An empty canvas, when signed by a renowned artist, becomes valuable because the artist’s reputation imbues it with meaning; possibilities are limitless, yet value derives from perceived intent. **In simple terms:** Artist’s name gives meaning to emptiness; potential is infinite. Key Takeaway Consider intent behind creations. Themes art value perception potential Mood thoughtful analytical Type artistic economic When to use this quote - gallery pricing - artist branding - collector decisions Key Concepts aesthetics economics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What defines artistic worth? - Can emptiness be truly valuable? A Different Perspective Value can be arbitrary, ignoring intrinsic merit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Empty canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-canvas/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Great artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artist/) [Limitless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitless/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) ## Related quotes > [Just let the artist sign an empty canvas or a frame, with the inscription, 'I had such and such a concept in mind' for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/just-let-the-artist-sign-an-empty-canvas-or-a-frame-with-the/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/when-you-thought-i-wasn-t-looking-i-saw-you-hang-my-first-painting-on/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [At eight, he had once told his mother that he wanted to paint air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/at-eight-he-had-once-told-his-mother-that-he-wanted-to-paint-air/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Maybe I am not very human - what I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/maybe-i-am-not-very-human-what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [“He wanted the world to be the color of his dreams, wanted to paint in primary colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-bauer/he-wanted-the-world-to-be-the-color-of-his-dreams-wanted-to-paint-in/) [Tal Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-bauer/) > [“I wanted to paint a picture, in indelible print, across the canvass of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-in-indelible-print-across-the-canvass-of/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [Before becoming an actor I kind of just wanted to paint and live somewhere and do something low-key and artistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-reedus/before-becoming-an-actor-i-kind-of-just-wanted-to-paint-and-live/) [Norman Reedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-reedus/) > [I just wanted to paint and sketch and tell stories by drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-just-wanted-to-paint-and-sketch-and-tell-stories-by-drawing/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I suppose all along all I ever really wanted to do was paint people. That never changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-joffe/i-suppose-all-along-all-i-ever-really-wanted-to-do-was-paint-people/) [Chantal Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-joffe/) > [I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-wanted-to-paint-a-picture-some-day-that-people-would-stand-before/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [I cannot say why I wanted to paint.The only answer is in the pictures themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oskar-kokoschka/i-cannot-say-why-i-wanted-to-paint-the-only-answer-is-in-the-pictures/) [Oskar Kokoschka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oskar-kokoschka/) > [What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/what-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-paint-sunlight-on-the-side-of-a-house/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Black ink was always my favorite. I loved it. And then one day I realized that the only thing I ever wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/black-ink-was-always-my-favorite-i-loved-it-and-then-one-day-i/) [Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/) > [I decided that what I really wanted to do was go off and paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/i-decided-that-what-i-really-wanted-to-do-was-go-off-and-paint/) [Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/) > [I've met a lot of artists who wanted to paint me. LeRoy Neiman was one. He did it from a photograph. He made 20,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-ve-met-a-lot-of-artists-who-wanted-to-paint-me-leroy-neiman-was-one/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) ## 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/) > [Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/) [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/) [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": "No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty canvas were signed by a great artist. I would be surprised if an empty canvas by Picasso or Matisse signed and inscribed with the words, 'I wanted to paint such and such on this canvas, but did not do so,' would not fetch thousands... After all, with an empty canvas, the possibilities are limitless, and so perhaps is the cash.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Semir Zeki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an-empty-canvas-by-me-but-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an-empty-canvas-by-me-but-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/semir-zeki-25396_art_no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an_2936527.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one would want to pay a penny for an empty canvas by me. But it would be quite another if the empty…” — 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": "No one would want to pay...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an-empty-canvas-by-me-but-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/no-one-would-want-to-pay-a-penny-for-an-empty-canvas-by-me-but-it/#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 } } ] } ```