--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The painter saw what was, an alternate…" description: "\"The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy inside the skin.\" — Thom Gunn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png" --- # The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy… ![“The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy inside the skin.” quote by Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png) > “The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy inside the skin.” [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet describes a painter who perceives hidden truths beneath appearances. **In simple terms:** Seeing deeper reality beyond the surface. Key Takeaway Look beyond outward appearances. Themes perception art truth creativity intimacy Mood contemplative curious Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - art criticism - psychology sessions - creative workshops - personal introspection Key Concepts metaphor subjectivity revelation Questions to Reflect On - What hidden layers do you notice in everyday life? - How does art reveal unseen truths? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary, risking misreading the intended nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candor/) [Inside Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-skin-556897/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-saw-4170248/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secrecy Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy-inside-4170247/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) ## Related quotes > [Every effort is made to control information. Secrecy is just one of the toggles on their control board. The mindset is in place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/every-effort-is-made-to-control-information-secrecy-is-just-one-of/) [Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/) > [“He was so close she could almost hear the movement of his thoughts, the role of the tide; she had slipped inside his skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-callahan/he-was-so-close-she-could-almost-hear-the-movement-of-his-thoughts/) [Tess Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-callahan/) > [Pretend – inside your skin – you've got a friend, who's willing to give you everything you ever wanted in exchange for all you've ever been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/pretend-inside-your-skin-you-ve-got-a-friend-who-s-willing-to-give/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [I'm happy inside my own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/i-m-happy-inside-my-own-skin/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [She couldn’t get any farther away inside from her skin. She couldn’t get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-voigt/she-couldn-t-get-any-farther-away-inside-from-her-skin-she-couldn-t/) [Cynthia Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-voigt/) > [“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/you-never-really-understand-a-person-until-you-consider-things-from-2/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I would be lying if I said there were not times that I am an earthquake contained inside this skin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-knott-gregson/i-would-be-lying-if-i-said-there-were-not-times-that-i-am-an/) [Tyler Knott Gregson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-knott-gregson/) > [“He wanted to pull her inside his skin and carry her around close to his heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cooper-mckenzie/he-wanted-to-pull-her-inside-his-skin-and-carry-her-around-close-to/) [Cooper McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cooper-mckenzie/) > [i could see the veins through your skin like a map to inside you. how could skin be that thin? i was so afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/i-could-see-the-veins-through-your-skin-like-a-map-to-inside-you-how/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [I'm floating inside my skin. I could go on floating like this for days. Right now, the real world with its heartbreak and disappointments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-m-floating-inside-my-skin-i-could-go-on-floating-like-this-for-days/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“...I hate myself for letting him know that I still think about him, that I carry him around inside my skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-cotugno/i-hate-myself-for-letting-him-know-that-i-still-think-about-him-that/) [Katie Cotugno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-cotugno/) > [Pregnancy is getting company inside one's skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-scarf/pregnancy-is-getting-company-inside-one-s-skin/) [Maggie Scarf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-scarf/) > [“It seemed to me that boys had a lot more fun. It was a relief. I didn't look at myself from the outside. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/it-seemed-to-me-that-boys-had-a-lot-more-fun-it-was-a-relief-i-didn-t/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [When did creating a flawless facade become a more vital goal than learning to love the person who lives inside your skin?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/when-did-creating-a-flawless-facade-become-a-more-vital-goal-than/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [I live in my house as I live inside my skin: I know more beautiful, more ample, more sturdy and more picturesque skins: but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-live-in-my-house-as-i-live-inside-my-skin-i-know-more-beautiful/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) ## More by Thom Gunn > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We tend to put poems into factions. And it restricts our reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-tend-to-put-poems-into-factions-and-it-restricts-our-reading/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We control the content of our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-control-the-content-of-our-dreams/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/deep-feeling-doesn-t-make-for-good-poetry-a-way-with-language-would/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/my-old-teacher-s-definition-of-poetry-is-an-attempt-to-understand/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I admired what my students were writing, but I think their improvement doesn't directly result from me but from being in a class, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-admired-what-my-students-were-writing-but-i-think-their-improvement/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [One joins the movement in a valueless world, Choosing it, till both hurler and the hurled, One moves as well, always toward, toward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/one-joins-the-movement-in-a-valueless-world-choosing-it-till-both/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked at. We treasure it in a kind of private art gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/as-humans-we-look-at-things-and-think-about-what-we-ve-looked-at-we/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I was at a benefit for some imprisoned students in the '60s at San Francisco State, and there were lots of poets reading for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-at-a-benefit-for-some-imprisoned-students-in-the-60s-at-san/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [There have been two popular subjects for poetry in the last few decades: the Vietnam War and AIDS, about both of which almost all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/there-have-been-two-popular-subjects-for-poetry-in-the-last-few/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I deliberately wrote a poem in my last book where I was suggesting that there are other passions as great as or more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-deliberately-wrote-a-poem-in-my-last-book-where-i-was-suggesting/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I was much influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-much-influenced-by-jean-paul-sartre/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I don't think of sex as a self-destructive impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-don-t-think-of-sex-as-a-self-destructive-impulse/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) [Explore all 43 Thom Gunn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## More Candor quotes > [Take lack of candor. ... I'm not talking about boldface lying, but a tendency to withhold information. That behavior is far more common, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/take-lack-of-candor-i-m-not-talking-about-boldface-lying-but-a/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [“I struggle to keep my hard, expressionless mask in place. The doctor's most powerful weapon has always been his particular brand of brutal honesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-struggle-to-keep-my-hard-expressionless-mask-in-place-the-doctor-s/) [Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/) > [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Honesty is always the best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [And he’s right to say that every faction loses something when it gains a virtue: the Dauntless, brave but cruel; the Erudite, intelligent but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-he-s-right-to-say-that-every-faction-loses-something-when-it/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Jennifer Fulwiler's story of finding God when you aren't looking for Him is a universal tale which will touch many hearts. With warmth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-arroyo/jennifer-fulwiler-s-story-of-finding-god-when-you-aren-t-looking-for/) [Raymond Arroyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-arroyo/) > [Michelle Alexander's brave and bold new book paints a haunting picture in which dreary felon garb, post-prison joblessness, and loss of voting rights now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/michelle-alexander-s-brave-and-bold-new-book-paints-a-haunting/) [Lani Guinier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lani-guinier/) > [Yet if strict criticism should till frown on our method, let candor and good humor forgive what is done to the best of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fielding/yet-if-strict-criticism-should-till-frown-on-our-method-let-candor/) [Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fielding/) > [“He is the kind of person I should expect to rescue one from a mad dog at any risk but then insist on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/he-is-the-kind-of-person-i-should-expect-to-rescue-one-from-a-mad-dog/) [Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/) > [“Clare wasn't worried anymore about their being mean to each other. She imagined that someday she'd be part of a friendship in which she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/clare-wasn-t-worried-anymore-about-their-being-mean-to-each-other-she/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [I have ventured to write more intimately about my personal life than is customary for a member of the Supreme Court, and with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-have-ventured-to-write-more-intimately-about-my-personal-life-than/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [Getting candor right - with your reports, your peers, and your boss - is a skill that can make or break your career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/getting-candor-right-with-your-reports-your-peers-and-your-boss-is-a/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [Judicial excellence requires candor before confirmation. We are being asked to give the nominee enormous power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kohl/judicial-excellence-requires-candor-before-confirmation-we-are-being/) [Herb Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kohl/) > [“Instead of fleeing God scrutiny, David welcomed it. It's like he was saying, "Look God, since I can't hide from you, since you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-davis-jr/instead-of-fleeing-god-scrutiny-david-welcomed-it-it-s-like-he-was/) [Will Davis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-davis-jr/) [Browse all 176 Candor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy inside the skin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thom Gunn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-candor-and-secrecy-inside-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Candor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-candor-and-secrecy-inside-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/337/thom-gunn-15259_candor_the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-ca_2096717.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The painter saw what was, an alternate Candor and secrecy inside the skin.” — Thom Gunn", "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": "Thom Gunn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The painter saw what was, an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-candor-and-secrecy-inside-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/the-painter-saw-what-was-an-alternate-candor-and-secrecy-inside-the/#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 } } ] } ```