--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The canvas has an idiotic stare and…" description: "\"The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.\" — Vincent Van Gogh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg" --- # The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some… ![“The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.” quote by Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg) > “The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.” [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. The intense focus of a painting can overwhelm artists, leading them to lose perspective and act foolishly. **In simple terms:** Obsessive focus on art can make creators act irrationally. Key Takeaway Balance artistic immersion with self‑awareness. Themes art perception ego Mood contemplative critical Type artistic insight philosophical When to use this quote - studio work - gallery openings - art criticism - creative blocks Key Concepts obsession creative focus self‑identity Questions to Reflect On - When does deep concentration become counterproductive? - How can artists stay grounded while immersed? A Different Perspective Intense focus can also deepen insight, not just cause folly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Blank canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-canvas/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) ## Related quotes > [Life itself, too, is forever turning an infinitely vacant, dispiriting blank side towards man on which nothing appears, any more than it does on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/life-itself-too-is-forever-turning-an-infinitely-vacant-dispiriting/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Just dash something down if you see a blank canvas staring at you with a certain imbecility. You do not know how paralyzing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/just-dash-something-down-if-you-see-a-blank-canvas-staring-at-you/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Just slap something on it when you see a blank canvas staring at you with a sort of imbecility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/just-slap-something-on-it-when-you-see-a-blank-canvas-staring-at-you/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Just slap anything on when you see a blank canvas staring you in the face like some imbecile. You don't know how paralyzing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/just-slap-anything-on-when-you-see-a-blank-canvas-staring-you-in-the/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the truly passionate painter who dares-and who has once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/many-painters-are-afraid-of-the-blank-canvas-but-the-blank-canvas-is/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/i-don-t-go-into-the-studio-with-the-idea-of-saying-something-what-i/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [I try to kind of come at everything as a blank canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-try-to-kind-of-come-at-everything-as-a-blank-canvas/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [An artist does his most difficult work when he steps back from the blank canvas and thinks about what he is going to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/an-artist-does-his-most-difficult-work-when-he-steps-back-from-the/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [“I'm... a blank canvas. There's nothing here to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-m-a-blank-canvas-there-s-nothing-here-to-love/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“Your life is a blank canvas,” her mother always told her. “It is what you make of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mooney/your-life-is-a-blank-canvas-her-mother-always-told-her-it-is-what-you/) [Bryan Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mooney/) > [I'm constantly thinking about design, shapes, patterns and colors, so I just want to be more of a blank canvas. But there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabal-gurung/i-m-constantly-thinking-about-design-shapes-patterns-and-colors-so-i/) [Prabal Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabal-gurung/) > [“EXERCISE Creating Authentic Relationships The questions below deal with issues most people take for granted and let society define for them. You can start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-taormino/exercise-creating-authentic-relationships-the-questions-below-deal/) [Tristan Taormino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-taormino/) > [Theres a blank canvas in front of you. You are the artist of your life, and you are free to paint any picture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishu/theres-a-blank-canvas-in-front-of-you-you-are-the-artist-of-your-life/) [Nishu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishu/) > [The white T-shirt is like a blank canvas - eternally versatile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-enninful/the-white-t-shirt-is-like-a-blank-canvas-eternally-versatile/) [Edward Enninful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-enninful/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) ## 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 > [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": "The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vincent Van Gogh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/vincent-van-gogh-486_artist_the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesm_327843.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.” — 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": "The canvas has an idiotic stare...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/#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 } } ] } ```