Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.
The frame is the reward of the artist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The act of framing a piece of art enhances its value and significance, rewarding the artist's vision.
This quote by Edgar Degas emphasizes the importance of presentation in art. The 'frame' symbolizes the recognition and appreciation that an artist receives, which can elevate their work beyond mere creation to a celebrated expression of creativity. The framing process serves not just as a physical boundary but as an essential element that gives context and value to the artwork, ultimately validating the artist's efforts and intentions.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a gallery presentation, one might say, 'As Degas stated, the frame is the reward of the artist, highlighting the effort put into both the creation and presentation of art.'
More from Edgar Degas
All quotes βNo art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.
It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory.
The Dance instills in you something that sets you apart. Something heroic and remote.
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.
Similar quotes
Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.
A drawing is an autobiographical record of one's discovery of an event - either seen, remembered or imagined. A 'finished' work is an attempt to construct an event in itself.
Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.
For such is the fate of parody: it must never fear exaggerating. If it strikes home, it will only prefigure something that others will then do without a smile--and without a blush--in steadfast virile seriousness.
I always thought I'd eventually learn how to draw really well, and despite constant evidence to the contrary, I just kept on trying. If you're too good at anything, you don't have to think about the process, whereas I feel like I spend my life with my head under the bonnet, trying to understand how everything works.
Color is a power which directly influences the soul.