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Nothing in art should seem accidental, not even movement
Edgar Degas
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Art should be intentional and each element should have purpose.

This quote by Edgar Degas emphasizes the importance of deliberate choices in the creation of art. It suggests that nothing should appear to be left to chance, including the way movement is portrayed, as each detail contributes to the overall expression and impact of the artwork.

Themes

ArtIntentionMovementCreativityExpression

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of craftsmanship in art classes.

More from Edgar Degas

Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.
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No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.
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Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.
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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.
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The Dance instills in you something that sets you apart. Something heroic and remote.
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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.
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