Because we are saturated with life, because we are human, our strongest motive is life, humanity; and the stronger the motive back of the line the stronger, and therefore more beautiful, the line will be.
Art is the giving by each man of his evidence to the world. Those who wish to give, love to give, discover the pleasure of giving. Those who give are tremendously strong.
Feel the dignity of a child. Do not feel superior to him, for you are not.
Beauty is an intangible thing; can not be fixed on the surface, and the wear and tear of old age on the body cannot defeat it. Nor will a “pretty” face make it, for “pretty” faces are often dull and empty, and beauty is never dull and it fills all spaces.
There is weakness in pretending to know more than you know or in stating less than you know.
You pass people on the street, some are for you, some are not.
By my teaching I hope to inspire you to personal activity and to present your vision.
Beauty is no material thing. Beauty cannot be copied. Beauty is the sensation of pleasure on the mind of the seer. No thing is beautiful. But all things await the sensitive and imaginative mind that may be aroused to pleasurable emotion at sight of them. This is beauty.
In certain books – some way in the first few paragraphs you know that you have met a brother.
There is nothing more entertaining than to have a frank talk with yourself. Few do it-frankly. Educating yourself is getting acquainted with yourself.
After all, the goal is not making art. It is living a life. Those who live their lives will leave the stuff that is really art.
The man who has honesty, integrity, the love of inquiry, the desire to see beyond, is ready to appreciate good art.
Many things that come into the world are not looked into. The individual says ‘My crowd doesn’t run that way.’ I say, don’t run with crowds.
To be free, to be happy and to be fruitful, can only be attained through sacrifice of many common but overestimated things.
Through art, mysterious bonds of understanding and of knowledge are established among men. They are the bonds of a great Brotherhood. Those who are of the Brotherhood know each other, and time and space cannot separate them.
Concentrate on a single feature – as, build all toward one eye – make all lines lead toward that eye.
Keep a bad drawing until by study you have found out why it is bad.
The pictures which do not represent an intense interest cannot expect to create an intense interest.
I have heard it very often said that an artist does not need intelligence, that his is the province of the soul.
In every human being there is the artist, and whatever his activity, he has an equal chance with any to express the result of his growth and his contact with life. I don’t believe any real artist cares whether what he does is ‘art’ or not. Who, after all, knows what art is?