No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters. Edgar Degas More Quotes by Edgar Degas More Quotes From Edgar Degas It seems to me that today, if the artist wishes to be serious - to cut out a little original niche for himself, or at least preserve his own innocence of personality - he must once more sink himself in solitude. There is too much talk and gossip; pictures are apparently made, like stock-market prices, by competition of people eager for profit; in order to do anything at all we need (so to speak) the wit and ideas of our neighbors as much as the businessmen need the funds of others to win on the market. All this traffic sharpens our intelligence and falsifies our judgment. Edgar Degas cutting artist winning It is people's movement that consoles us. If the leaves of a tree did not move, how sad would be the tree - and so should we. Edgar Degas tree people moving Truth is never ugly when one can find in it what one needs. Edgar Degas ugly truth needs An artist must approach his work in the spirit of the criminal about to commit a crime. Edgar Degas criminals artist spirit If painting weren't so difficult, it wouldn't be fun. Edgar Degas painting difficult fun A man is an artist only at certain moments, by an effort of will. Objects have the same appearance for everybody. Edgar Degas effort artist men Drawing is not the same as form, it is a way of seeing form. Edgar Degas drawing form way Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. Edgar Degas doe knowledge art For those who don't know what they are doing, painting is easy. Edgar Degas painting difficult easy Make a drawing. Start it all over again, trace it. Start it and trace it again. Edgar Degas drawing Taste! It doesn't exist. An artist makes beautiful things without being aware of it. Edgar Degas taste artist beautiful You have to have a high conception, not of what you are doing, but of what you may do one day: without that, there's no point in working. Edgar Degas conception one-day may What use is my mind? Granted that it enables me to hail a bus and to pay my fare. But once I am inside my studio, what use is my mind? I have my model, my pencil, my paints. My mind doesn't interest me. Edgar Degas imagination use mind We were created to look at one another, weren't we? Edgar Degas artist looks There is love, and there is work; and we have only one heart. Edgar Degas heart Daylight is too easy. What I want is difficult - the atmosphere of lamps and moonlight. Edgar Degas atmosphere daylight photography And even this heart of mine has something artificial. The dancers have sewn it into a bag of pink satin, pink satin slightly faded, like their dancing shoes. Edgar Degas shoes dancing heart One must do the same subject over again ten times, a hundred times. In art nothing must resemble an accident, not even movement. Edgar Degas hundred movement art Great patience is called for on the hard path that I have entered on. Edgar Degas hard path patience Art' is the same word as 'artifice,' that is to say, something deceitful. It must succeed in giving the impression of nature by false means. Edgar Degas giving mean art
