--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I consider my painting finished when my…" description: "\"I consider my painting finished when my eyes goes to a particular spot on the canvas. But if I put the picture away about thirty feet on the wall and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/william-baziotes-32848_artist_i-consider-my-painting-finished-when-my_383529.jpg" --- # I consider my painting finished when my eyes goes to a… ![“I consider my painting finished when my eyes goes to a particular spot on the canvas. But if I put the picture away about thirty feet on the wall and the movements keep returning to me and the eye seems to be responding to something living, then it is finished.” quote by William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/william-baziotes-32848_artist_i-consider-my-painting-finished-when-my_383529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/william-baziotes-32848_artist_i-consider-my-painting-finished-when-my_383529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16d/william-baziotes-32848_artist_i-consider-my-painting-finished-when-my_383529.jpg) > “I consider my painting finished when my eyes goes to a particular spot on the canvas. But if I put the picture away about thirty feet on the wall and the movements keep returning to me and the eye seems to be responding to something living, then it is finished.” [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A painting is complete when it engages the viewer's eye repeatedly, creating a living dialogue. **In simple terms:** Art finishes when it feels alive to the viewer. Key Takeaway Create works that invite ongoing visual interaction. Themes art perception completion Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - gallery exhibition - art education - creative process Key Concepts visual dialogue aesthetic experience Questions to Reflect On - When does a viewer's response signal completion? - How does distance affect perception? A Different Perspective Subjectivity may cause differing views on when a work is finished. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [Each painting has its own way of evolving. When the painting is finished, the subject reveals itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/each-painting-has-its-own-way-of-evolving-when-the-painting-is/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [In America, the only truly popular art form is the movies. Most people consider painting a hobby and literature, schoolwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/in-america-the-only-truly-popular-art-form-is-the-movies-most-people/) [Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/) > [I'm a tireless worker; I don't consider painting a work, it is not an obligation, I do it for pleasure; I haven't found anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-botero/i-m-a-tireless-worker-i-don-t-consider-painting-a-work-it-is-not-an/) [Fernando Botero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-botero/) > [I consider painting as a means of expression, not as a goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/i-consider-painting-as-a-means-of-expression-not-as-a-goal/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Music is an amazing thing. I don't know if we really think about it the same way we consider a painting an amazing thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/music-is-an-amazing-thing-i-don-t-know-if-we-really-think-about-it/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ “Finally, when someone asked \[Pollack\] how he knew when a painting was finished, he replied, “How do you know when you’ve finished making love?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-wetzsteon/finally-when-someone-asked-pollack-how-he-knew-when-a-painting-was/) [Ross Wetzsteon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-wetzsteon/) > [To put it as simply as possible - and this is a simple answer, not a total answer - I know when a painting's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/to-put-it-as-simply-as-possible-and-this-is-a-simple-answer-not-a/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [A painting is finished when to have done less would be considered a sin and more a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-godwin/a-painting-is-finished-when-to-have-done-less-would-be-considered-a/) [Ted Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-godwin/) > [The painting is finished when the idea has disappeared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/the-painting-is-finished-when-the-idea-has-disappeared/) [Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/) > [A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rembrandt/a-painting-is-finished-when-the-artist-says-it-is-finished/) [Rembrandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rembrandt/) > [When a painting is finished, it's like a new born child, and the artist himself must have time for understanding. How then do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-a-painting-is-finished-it-s-like-a-new-born-child-and-the-artist/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [“A painting is never finished - it simply stops in interesting places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gardner/a-painting-is-never-finished-it-simply-stops-in-interesting-places/) Paul Gardner > [I paint very directly. I go from top to bottom. When I get to the floor, the painting is finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-welliver/i-paint-very-directly-i-go-from-top-to-bottom-when-i-get-to-the-floor/) Neil Welliver > [ When I've painted a woman's bottom so that I want to touch it, then \[the painting\] is finished. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/when-i-ve-painted-a-woman-s-bottom-so-that-i-want-to-touch-it-then/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [A painting is finished when the subject comes back, when what has caused the painting to be made comes back as an object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hodgkin/a-painting-is-finished-when-the-subject-comes-back-when-what-has/) [Howard Hodgkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hodgkin/) ## More by William Baziotes > [Let the poet dream his dreams. Yet, the poet must look at the world; must enter into other men's lives; must look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/let-the-poet-dream-his-dreams-yet-the-poet-must-look-at-the-world/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [One can begin a picture and carry it through and stop it and do nothing about the title at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/one-can-begin-a-picture-and-carry-it-through-and-stop-it-and-do/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [As for the subject matter in my painting.. ..it is very often an incidental thing in the background, elusive and unclear, that really stirred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/as-for-the-subject-matter-in-my-painting-it-is-very-often-an/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [There is always an unconscious collaboration among artists.. ..the artist who imagine himself a Robinson Crusoe is either a primitive or a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/there-is-always-an-unconscious-collaboration-among-artists-the-artist/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [Each painting has its own way of evolving. When the painting is finished, the subject reveals itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/each-painting-has-its-own-way-of-evolving-when-the-painting-is/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [I kept.. ..returning to the (ancient Roman) wall paintings with their veiled melancholy and elegant plasticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/i-kept-returning-to-the-ancient-roman-wall-paintings-with-their/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [One hundred artists introduce us to one hundred worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/one-hundred-artists-introduce-us-to-one-hundred-worlds/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [The large gray spiked form rising from the bottom of the picture is to me the symbol of death and ruin. And finally the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/the-large-gray-spiked-form-rising-from-the-bottom-of-the-picture-is/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [I can not evolve any concrete theory about painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/i-can-not-evolve-any-concrete-theory-about-painting/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [In the beginning I drew and painted from nature in order to know her. Then later, only to fall under her spell. And today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/in-the-beginning-i-drew-and-painted-from-nature-in-order-to-know-her/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [The eye seems to be responding to something living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/the-eye-seems-to-be-responding-to-something-living/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [It is the mysterious that I love in painting. It is the stillness and the silence. I want my pictures to take effect very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/it-is-the-mysterious-that-i-love-in-painting-it-is-the-stillness-and/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [I think when a man first discovers that two and two is four, there is 'beauty' in that; and we can see why. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/i-think-when-a-man-first-discovers-that-two-and-two-is-four-there-is/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [Whereas certain people start with a recollection or an experience and paint that experience, to some of us the act of doing is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/whereas-certain-people-start-with-a-recollection-or-an-experience-and/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) [Explore all 15 William Baziotes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) ## 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. 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