quotes to inspire

5 Art Quotes by Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse played an impactful role in the development of art in the 20th century. He is well known for his use of color, form, and shape.

Did you know that Matisse had planned to be a lawyer and even passed the bar? He didn’t become interested in art until he was 21 years old. Using a set of oils he received from his mother, he began painting while recuperating from appendicitis. This changed the trajectory of his life. 

Here are 5 quotes attributed to Matisse:

“I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have a light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me.”

“Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.”

“I don’t paint things. I only paint the difference between things.”

“An artist must never be a prisoner. Prisoner? An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success. etc.”

“I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth when all the world is new to it.”

5 Art Quotes by Wassily Kandinsky

Many years ago, I had the joy of visiting a retrospective exhibit of Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings. His work and that exhibit has stayed with me ever since. It felt as if each painting drew me into his inner world.

I have been most inspired by the way Kandinsky approached two of his greatest influences: music and spirituality.

His book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, is one of the books that lives on my night table.

Here are 5 of his quotes:

“Lend your ears to music. Open your eyes to painting, and… stop thinking! Just ask yourself whether the work has enabled you to ‘walk about’ into a hitherto unknown world. If the answer is yes, what more do you want?”

“Every man who steeps himself in the spiritual possibilities of his heart is a valuable helper in the building of the spiritual pyramid which will someday reach to heaven.”

“The work of art is born of the artist in a mysterious and secret way. From him it gains life and being. Nor is its existence casual and inconsequent. But it has a definite and purposeful strength alike in its material and spiritual life.”

“The impact of the acute angle of a triangle on a circle produces an effect no less powerful than the finger of GOD touching the finger of Adam in Michelangelo.”

“Every work of art is the child of its age and, in many cases, the mother of our emotions. It follows that each period of culture produces an art of its own which can never be repeated.”

5 Quotes on the Nature of Art

Art_Quotes_WMS_Rick_Rubin.jpg

Rick Rubin quote

It has been a few months since I posted a series of Art Quotes. This group of 5 includes quotes on the relationship between art and nature, and on the very nature of art itself.

I’ve included quotes by:

Rick Rubin (record producer)
Scott Adams (Dilbert creator, cartoonist and author)
Neil Gaiman (author of novels, short stories, comic book series and more)
Anais Nin (diarist, writer of essays, short stories and more)
Saint Francis of Assisi, who needs no introduction (Italian Catholic friar)

“The power of nature is such that it’s what all art strives to be. The more we can get in tune with the harmony of the planet, the more our art can benefit from that relationship.”

~ Rick Rubin

Art_Quotes_WMS_Scott_Adams.jpg

Scott Adams quote

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ”
— Scott Adams
Art_Quotes_WMS_Neil_Gaiman.jpg

Neil Gaiman quote

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before. ”
— Neil Gaiman
FYI: I added (or artist) to the quote.

Anais Nin quote

“It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it. ”
— Anais Nin

Saint Francis of Assisi quote

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands. his head, and his heart, is an artist.”
— Saint Francis of Assisi

NOTE: On the Anais Nin quote, I added (or artist).

You may also be interested in:
5 Art Quotes to Inspire
5 Quotes by Famous Artists
5 Art Quotes by Audrey Flack

5 Art Quotes by Audrey Flack

I became familiar with Audrey Flack many years ago when I attended an art educators conference. At the time I was an art teacher/art therapist for a small program of vision impaired multi-handicapped kids. 

Audrey Flack is an American artist who pioneered the art of photorealism. Her book, Art & Soul: Notes on Creating, is packed with quotable statements. Both her artwork and her words have been an inspiration to many artists through the years.

“The act of painting is a spiritual covenant between the maker and the higher powers. The intent of the artist flows through the work of art, no matter what the technique or style.”

Art_Quotes_WMS_Audrey_Flack1.jpg

Audrey Flack quote #1

Art_Quotes_WMS_Audrey_Flack2.jpg

Audrey Flack quote #2

“When you're in the studio painting, there are a lot of people in there with you. Your teachers, friends, painters from history, critics...and one by one, if you're really painting, they walk out. And if you're really painting, you walk out.”

Audrey Flack quote #3

“I believe in the energy of art, and through the use of that energy, the artist's ability to transform his or her life, and by example, the lives of others.”

Audrey Flack quote #4

“I do know that the process of art is a series of jolts, or perhaps I mean volts, for art is an extraordinarily faithful transmitter. Our job is to keep our receiving equipment in good working order.”

Art_Quote_WMS_Audrey_Flack5.jpg

Audrey Flack quote #5

"True art puts you in touch with that part of yourself that knows the truth."

5 Art Quotes by Famous Artists

Joan Miro quote

Last month I posted 5 Art Quotes to Inspire. This time I’m sharing quotes from well known artists. And you may find that many of them are just as inspirational.

Artists have a unique perspective on the world… and you can see it, not only in their work, but in their words as well. These quotes provide a momentary glance into their thoughts and the way they saw their work and the world.

I’ve included quotes of Miro, Kandinsky, da Vinci, and O’Keefe.

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can look at a picture for a second and think about it all your life.”

~ Joan Miro

Wassily Kandinsky quote

“The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul.”

~ Wassily Kandinsky

Art_Quotes_WMS_DaVinci.jpg

Leonardo da Vinci quote

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.”

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Art_Quotes_WMS_Georgia_Okeefe.jpg

Georgia O’Keefe quote #1

“I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could.”

~ Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keefe quote #2

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant. There is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.”

~ Georgia O’Keeffe

5 Art Quotes to Inspire

Quote to Inspire #1

Quote to Inspire #1

For several years, I’ve been placing quotes into my paintings. Many of them are words of wisdom from the sages of our past… words that inspire. This year, I began keeping a collection of quotes about art and creativity… words of all ages and times. Some I’ve saved on slips of paper for many years. A number of them are new finds. 

And I’d like to begin sharing them here with you. 

This first collection of quotes have an inspirational or spiritual view of the art process or the art itself. They reference the broader connections beyond what we see with our eyes. 

“Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy.” ~ Albert Einstein

Quote to Inspire #2

Quote to Inspire #2

Quote to Inspire #3

Quote to Inspire #3

“Art is a step in the known toward the unknown.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

“Art is a collaboration between GOD and the artist. And the less the artist does the better.” ~ Andre Gide

Quote to Inspire #4

Quote to Inspire #4

Quote to Inspire #5

Quote to Inspire #5

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”

~ Kurt Vonnegut

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

~ Thomas Merton