---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sargent, when he painted the size of…"
description: "\"Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until canvas and sitter were equal before his eye, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg"
---

#  Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his…

![“Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until canvas and sitter were equal before his eye, and was thus able to estimate the construction and values of his representation ...” quote by William Rothenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg)

> “Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until canvas and sitter were equal before his eye, and was thus able to estimate the construction and values of his representation ...”

William Rothenstein

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sargent aligned his canvas with his model to achieve balanced representation and accurate proportion.

**In simple terms:** Equal eye level creates balanced, accurate art.

Key Takeaway

Maintain perspective equality.

Themes

art technique balance representation

Mood

analytical educational

Type

Able:0 Artist:1 Canvas:1 Construction:0 Equal:1 Eye:1 His eyes:0 Levels:1 Life:0 Models:0 Painting:1 Representation:1 Size:0 Values:0 Placed Canvas:0 Sargent:1 Sargent Painted:0 Walked Canvas:0 Painted Size:0

When to use this quote

- painting
- art education
- studio setup

Key Concepts

visual perception proportion composition

Questions to Reflect On

- How does perspective affect viewer perception?
- When is imbalance purposeful?

A Different Perspective

May not apply to all artistic styles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Construction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construction/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

## Related quotes

> [“Crafting a business model is no different. Ideas placed in the Canvas trigger new ones. The Canvas becomes a tool for facilitating the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-osterwalder/crafting-a-business-model-is-no-different-ideas-placed-in-the-canvas/)

[Alexander Osterwalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-osterwalder/)

> [Perhaps the rhinos and she-crocodiles whose gyrations between Mortimer's and East Hampton gives us our vision of social eminence today are content to entrust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/perhaps-the-rhinos-and-she-crocodiles-whose-gyrations-between/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

> [“It was not just a touch, an action. It was a simplification of both of them: They were no longer Noah Czerny and Blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-not-just-a-touch-an-action-it-was-a-simplification-of-both-of/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“Enough of this ruminatory bullshit,” Sargent said. “You’d think I had a crystal ball, knew the future. You’d think thee roads couldn’t still fork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bain/enough-of-this-ruminatory-bullshit-sargent-said-you-d-think-i-had-a/)

[David Bain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bain/)

> [There's only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today’s society. Sometimes we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-s-only-a-very-small-representation-of-girls-among-you-too/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [There is a lot of work to be done to make sure our leaders reflect the people they are supposed to represent. The more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/there-is-a-lot-of-work-to-be-done-to-make-sure-our-leaders-reflect/)

[Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/)

> [“Let's get real about the ideal. It sucks. It doesn't represent us, and it doesn't even try to. It refuses to acknowledge that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-jayne-crabbe/let-s-get-real-about-the-ideal-it-sucks-it-doesn-t-represent-us-and/)

[Megan Jayne Crabbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-jayne-crabbe/)

> [When we visualize something, we establish a relationship to the thing itself, not to some mere subjective representation of it inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medard-boss/when-we-visualize-something-we-establish-a-relationship-to-the-thing/)

[Medard Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medard-boss/)

> [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/)

[Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/)

> [If I paint a hammer and sickle people may think it is a representation of Communism, but for me it is only a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-paint-a-hammer-and-sickle-people-may-think-it-is-a/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“Why I am Passionate and Dedicated 1000% to producing and bringing my books Loving Summer, Bitter Frost, and other book series to the Screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/why-i-am-passionate-and-dedicated-1000-to-producing-and-bringing-my/)

[Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/)

> [I hope that we always have diversity, that we have equality and representation every step of the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsai-martin/i-hope-that-we-always-have-diversity-that-we-have-equality-and/)

[Marsai Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsai-martin/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [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/)

## More by William Rothenstein

> [How often I admire the taste shown in the garden which, within the house, may be indifferent. Here is an art which is today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rothenstein/how-often-i-admire-the-taste-shown-in-the-garden-which-within-the/)

William Rothenstein

Explore all 2 William Rothenstein quotes

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until canvas and sitter were equal before his eye, and was thus able to estimate the construction and values of his representation ...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Rothenstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rothenstein/sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life-placed-his-canvas-on-a-level/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rothenstein/sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life-placed-his-canvas-on-a-level/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/william-rothenstein-105408_able_sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life_1604453.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until…” — William Rothenstein",
                "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": "William Rothenstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rothenstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sargent, when he painted the size...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rothenstein/sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life-placed-his-canvas-on-a-level/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rothenstein/sargent-when-he-painted-the-size-of-life-placed-his-canvas-on-a-level/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
