---
title: "To anyone who is not an artist it must seem rather strange that Degas… — Kenneth Clark Quote #45 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "To anyone who is not an artist it must seem rather strange that Degas who could do anything - for whom setting down what he saw presented no difficul… — a quote by Kenneth Clark."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # To anyone who is not an artist it must seem rather strange that Degas who could do anything - for whom setting down what he saw presented no difficulties at all - should have continued to draw the same poses year after year - often, it would seem, with increasing difficulty. Just as a classical dancer repeats the same movements again and again, in order to achieve a greater perfection of line and balance, so Degas repeats the same motifs, it was one of the things that gave him so much sympathy with dancers. He was continually struggling to achieve an idea of perfect form, but this did not prevent him looking for the truth in what might seem an artificial situation.

[Kenneth Clark](https://quotesby.net/Kenneth-Clark)\#45[WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CTo%20anyone%20who%20is%20not%20an%20artist%20it%20must%20seem%20rather%20strange%20that%20Degas%20who%20could%20do%20anything%20-%20for%20whom%20setting%20down%20what%20he%20saw%20presented%20no%20difficulties%20at%20all%20-%20should%20have%20continued%20to%20draw%20the%20same%20poses%20year%20after%20year%20-%20often%2C%20it%20would%20seem%2C%20with%20increasing%20difficulty.%20Just%20as%20a%20classical%20dancer%20repeats%20the%20same%20movements%20again%20and%20again%2C%20in%20order%20to%20achieve%20a%20greater%20perfection%20of%20line%20and%20balance%2C%20so%20Degas%20repeats%20the%20same%20motifs%2C%20it%20was%20one%20of%20the%20things%20that%20gave%20him%20so%20much%20sympathy%20with%20dancers.%20He%20was%20continually%20struggling%20to%20achieve%20an%20idea%20of%20perfect%20form%2C%20but%20this%20did%20not%20prevent%20him%20looking%20for%20the%20truth%20in%20what%20might%20seem%20an%20artificial%20situation.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Kenneth%20Clark%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FKenneth-Clark%2F45%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CTo%20anyone%20who%20is%20not%20an%20artist%20it%20must%20seem%20rather%20strange%20that%20Degas%20who%20could%20do%20anything%20-%20for%20whom%20setting%20down%20what%20he%20saw%20presented%20no%20difficulties%20at%20all%20-%20should%20have%20continued%20to%20draw%20the%20same%20poses%20year%20after%20year%20-%20often%2C%20it%20would%20seem%2C%20with%20increasing%20difficulty.%20Just%20as%20a%20classical%20dancer%20repeats%20the%20same%20movements%20again%20and%20again%2C%20in%20order%20to%20achieve%20a%20greater%20perfection%20of%20line%20and%20balance%2C%20so%20Degas%20repeats%20the%20same%20motifs%2C%20it%20was%20one%20of%20the%20things%20that%20gave%20him%20so%20much%20sympathy%20with%20dancers.%20He%20was%20continually%20struggling%20to%20achieve%20an%20idea%20of%20perfect%20form%2C%20but%20this%20did%20not%20prevent%20him%20looking%20for%20the%20truth%20in%20what%20might%20seem%20an%20artificial%20situation.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Kenneth%20Clark&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FKenneth-Clark%2F45%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FKenneth-Clark%2F45%2F)

## More from Kenneth Clark

1. > Only the bad artists of the nineteenth century were frightened by the invention of photography; the good ones all welcomed it and used it. Degas liked it not o…

[Permalink to quote \#44](https://quotesby.net/Kenneth-Clark/44/ "Permalink to quote 44")
2. > Almost all great painters in old age arrive at the same kind of broad, simplified style, as if they wanted to summarise the whole of their experience in a few …

[Permalink to quote \#46](https://quotesby.net/Kenneth-Clark/46/ "Permalink to quote 46")
3. > Millet was one of those artists on whom a few formal ideas make so deep an impression that they feel compelled to spend the whole of their lives in trying to l…

[Permalink to quote \#43](https://quotesby.net/Kenneth-Clark/43/ "Permalink to quote 43")

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