The true test of all the arts, is not solely whether the production is a true copy of nature, but whether it answers the end of art, which is to produce a pleasing effect upon the mind.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Art succeeds if it pleases the mind, not just if it copies reality accurately.
- In plain terms
- The goal of art is to create a pleasing effect on the viewer.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize emotional impact over strict realism.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does this work move you?
- What is the purpose of this piece?
Another view
Some contexts demand factual accuracy over aesthetic pleasure.
More from Joshua Reynolds
No Art can be grafted with success on another art. For though they all profess the same origin, and to proceed from the same stock, yet each has its own peculi…
Permalink to quote #17 The art of seeing Nature, or in other words, the art of using Models, is in reality the great object, the point to which all our studies are directed.
Permalink to quote #16 You are never to lose sight of nature; the instant you do, you are all abroad, at the mercy of every gust of fashion, without knowing or seeing the point to wh…
Permalink to quote #15
Related quotes
The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Tru…
Leo TolstoyLeo Tolstoy quote #1 Is beautiful what proceeds from an inner necessity of the soul. Is beautiful what is inwardly beautiful.
Wassily KandinskyWassily Kandinsky quote #3 They took your life apart And called your failures art They were wrong, though They won't know 'Til tomorrow
Elliott SmithElliott Smith quote #24