--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The paintings are more about physicality…" description: "\"The paintings are more about physicality and gesture than meditation. I'd compare it to playing scales on the Cello - each sound (pitch and intensity) ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/stephen-beal-37280_artist_the-paintings-are-more-about-physicality_2916464.jpg" --- # The paintings are more about physicality and gesture than… ![“The paintings are more about physicality and gesture than meditation. I'd compare it to playing scales on the Cello - each sound (pitch and intensity) depends on the manner in which you hold and apply the bow. The same goes for the gesture of applying paint to a surface.” quote by Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/stephen-beal-37280_artist_the-paintings-are-more-about-physicality_2916464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/stephen-beal-37280_artist_the-paintings-are-more-about-physicality_2916464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/stephen-beal-37280_artist_the-paintings-are-more-about-physicality_2916464.jpg) > “The paintings are more about physicality and gesture than meditation. I'd compare it to playing scales on the Cello - each sound (pitch and intensity) depends on the manner in which you hold and apply the bow. The same goes for the gesture of applying paint to a surface.” [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Painting emphasizes physical gesture and material interaction, similar to musical expression on an instrument **In simple terms:** Art is about the physical act of creation, not just the result Key Takeaway Focus on process and embodied technique in creative practice Themes art embodiment process Mood reflective educational Type artistic pedagogical When to use this quote - visual arts - performance - teaching - therapy Key Concepts kinesthetic learning aesthetic theory Questions to Reflect On - How can gesture and idea be balanced? - What practices enhance embodied creativity? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on gesture may neglect conceptual depth ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bows/) [Compare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compare/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture/) [Gesture Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture-meditation-4226958/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensity/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation Compare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-compare-4226960/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Physicality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-physicality-4226957/) [Physicality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicality/) [Physicality Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicality-gesture-4226959/) [Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) ## Related quotes > [“The first language humans had was gestures. 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When I'm not in my studio,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/my-studio-work-is-a-central-part-of-my-life-and-i-d-be-at-loose-ends/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [In the late 60's I was enrolled at Occidental College majoring in philosophy and taking several studio art classes, but I dropped out. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/in-the-late-60-s-i-was-enrolled-at-occidental-college-majoring-in/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I'm interested in how paintings can change or transform - sometimes through close examination or viewed from afar; or how they hold the space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/i-m-interested-in-how-paintings-can-change-or-transform-sometimes/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I am very invested in the physical activity and the decision-making that is involved with making paintings - nothing else is quite like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/i-am-very-invested-in-the-physical-activity-and-the-decision-making/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [“On Becoming a Poet in the 1950s" There was love and there was trees. 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Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. 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