--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began to paint again, even though I…" description: "\"I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold the brush, but knowing exactly what I wanted to paint, I began three more large canvases... of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg" --- # I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold… ![“I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold the brush, but knowing exactly what I wanted to paint, I began three more large canvases... of large wheat fields under cloudy skies, and it did not take a great deal to express sadness and loneliness... I believe these paintings say what…” quote by Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg) > “I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold the brush, but knowing exactly what I wanted to paint, I began three more large canvases... of large wheat fields under cloudy skies, and it did not take a great deal to express sadness and loneliness... I believe these paintings say what words cannot.” [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art can convey deep emotions when words fall short, especially when the artist knows their vision clearly. **In simple terms:** Painting expresses feelings words cannot. Key Takeaway Trust your vision and create despite limitations. Themes art emotion expression resilience Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type artistic personal When to use this quote - personal healing - art therapy - public exhibition - community workshops Key Concepts visual art emotional catharsis creative perseverance Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing your intent shape the creative process? - What emotions emerge when you paint without skill? A Different Perspective Limited resources may hinder technical execution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Began Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-paint-2451484/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Brushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brushes/) [Canvases Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvases-large-3790225/) [Cloudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cloudy/) [Cloudy skies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cloudy-skies/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Large Canvases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-canvases-604107/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-began-3790224/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-say-2363538/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness and loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-and-loneliness/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wheat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheat/) [Wheat fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheat-fields/) ## Related quotes > [I arrived in the U.S. for graduate study in literature in the fall of 1986. I was twenty-three. After a year, I began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/i-arrived-in-the-u-s-for-graduate-study-in-literature-in-the-fall-of/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [The wheat field has ...poetry; it is like a memory of something one has once seen. We can only make our pictures speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-wheat-field-has-poetry-it-is-like-a-memory-of-something-one-has/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [None of my paintings I would say are religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/none-of-my-paintings-i-would-say-are-religious/) [Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/) > [The great difficulty with large canvases is that they should by right be painted as fast as a sketch. By speed only can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-sorolla/the-great-difficulty-with-large-canvases-is-that-they-should-by-right/) [Joaquin Sorolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-sorolla/) > [“These paintings say Mexico is an ancient thing that will still go on forever telling its own story in slabs of color leaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/these-paintings-say-mexico-is-an-ancient-thing-that-will-still-go-on/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The reason for my painting large canvases is that I want to be intimate and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/the-reason-for-my-painting-large-canvases-is-that-i-want-to-be-2/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [The reason for my painting large canvases is that I want to be intimate and human. To paint a small picture is to place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/the-reason-for-my-painting-large-canvases-is-that-i-want-to-be/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [The overscaled compositions being produced by so many abstract painters, which are full of movement and use of color, are ideal example, ideal transformations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/the-overscaled-compositions-being-produced-by-so-many-abstract/) [Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/) > [“I don't think anyone but Caden sees me this way. Maybe that's the artist in him, or maybe it's the man in him. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-heath/i-don-t-think-anyone-but-caden-sees-me-this-way-maybe-that-s-the/) [Amanda Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-heath/) > [Then as I turned seven, I gradually moved onto pastels and started painting on large canvases that were much bigger than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/then-as-i-turned-seven-i-gradually-moved-onto-pastels-and-started/) [Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/) > [I think it's absurd to believe that movies should look like paintings and say something like serious books say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-morrissey/i-think-it-s-absurd-to-believe-that-movies-should-look-like-paintings/) [Paul Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-morrissey/) > [“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their-autobiography-the-paintings/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/it-has-done-me-good-said-the-fox-because-of-the-color-of-the-wheat/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [In the middle of a wheat field under a beautiful sunshine anybody can be happy; the important thing is to be happy in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-middle-of-a-wheat-field-under-a-beautiful-sunshine-anybody-can/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Had I the power, I would scatter libraries over the whole land as the sower sows his wheatfield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/had-i-the-power-i-would-scatter-libraries-over-the-whole-land-as-the/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) ## More by Vincent Van Gogh > [What am I in most people's eyes? A nonentity or an eccentric and disagreeable man... I should want my work to show what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/what-am-i-in-most-people-s-eyes-a-nonentity-or-an-eccentric-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-heart-of-man-is-very-much-like-the-sea-it-has-its-storms-it-has/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“I take great care of myself by carefully shutting myself away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-take-great-care-of-myself-by-carefully-shutting-myself-away/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [There certainly is an affinity between a person and his work, but it is not easy to define what this affinity is, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/there-certainly-is-an-affinity-between-a-person-and-his-work-but-it/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I confess I do not know why, but looking at the stars always makes me dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-confess-i-do-not-know-why-but-looking-at-the-stars-always-makes-me/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Ah, Manet has come very, very close to it and Courbet - the marrying of form and colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-manet-has-come-very-very-close-to-it-and-courbet-the-marrying-of/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [We must not judge God from this world. It's just a study that didn't come off. It's only a master who could make such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/we-must-not-judge-god-from-this-world-it-s-just-a-study-that-didn-t/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/our-goals-can-only-be-reached-through-a-vehicle-of-a-plan-in-which-we/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [One can never study nature too much and too hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/one-can-never-study-nature-too-much-and-too-hard/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [But by fighting the difficulties in which one finds oneself, an inner strength develops from within our heart, which improves in life's fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/but-by-fighting-the-difficulties-in-which-one-finds-oneself-an-inner/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Ah! My dear friend painting is to us what the music of Berlioz and Wagner was before us - a consolatory art for sore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-my-dear-friend-painting-is-to-us-what-the-music-of-berlioz-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Painting demands an intelligent model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/painting-demands-an-intelligent-model/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [That this awareness of my own fallibility will prevent me from making many mistakes doesn't alter the fact that I'm bound to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/that-this-awareness-of-my-own-fallibility-will-prevent-me-from-making/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [What is drawing? It is working oneself through an invisible iron wall that seems to stand between what one feels and what one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/what-is-drawing-it-is-working-oneself-through-an-invisible-iron-wall/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [You will say that everyone has seen landscapes and figures from childhood on. The question is: Has everybody also been reflexive as a child?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/you-will-say-that-everyone-has-seen-landscapes-and-figures-from/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) [Explore all 508 Vincent Van Gogh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. 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. 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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold the brush, but knowing exactly what I wanted to paint, I began three more large canvases... of large wheat fields under cloudy skies, and it did not take a great deal to express sadness and loneliness... I believe these paintings say what words cannot.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vincent Van Gogh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-could-barely-hold-the-brush-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-could-barely-hold-the-brush-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/vincent-van-gogh-486_believe_i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-cou_2039782.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I began to paint again, even though I could barely hold the brush, but knowing exactly what I wanted to…” — Vincent Van Gogh", "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": "Vincent Van Gogh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I began to paint again, even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-could-barely-hold-the-brush-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-began-to-paint-again-even-though-i-could-barely-hold-the-brush-but/#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 } } ] } ```