Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Degas argues that painting should embrace the natural imperfections and overlap found in real conversation.
In plain terms
Painting should be as imperfect and spontaneous as human talk.
What can you take from it?
Embrace natural imperfections in your work.

Where it applies

  • artistic creation
  • creative process

Putting it to work

  • adopt overlapping techniques
  • allow unfinished edges

Questions to consider

  • How can imperfection enhance realism?
  • When should art be polished?

Another view

Not all art benefits from appearing unfinished or chaotic.

More from Edgar Degas

  1. But it's true, isn't it Pauline, that people imagine that the artists and their models spend their time getting up to all sorts of obscenities? As far as work …

    Permalink to quote #42
  2. Damn, and just when I was starting to get it!

    Permalink to quote #44
  3. Everybody has talent at twenty-five. The difficult thing is to have it at fifty.

    Permalink to quote #41

Related quotes

  1. Yo no digo todo, mas pinto todo.

    Pablo PicassoPablo Picasso quote #21
  2. My paintings are small but each one is an enigma

    Giorgio de ChiricoGiorgio de Chirico quote #1
  3. If I could express the same thing with words as with music, I would, of course, use a verbal expression. Music is something autonomous and much richer. Music b…

    Jean SibeliusJean Sibelius quote #3