5009 quotes by artists for you to enjoy

It is not important to make many pictures but that I have one picture right. Piet Mondrian

Picture Important Pictures Make Many Right

If the universal is the essential, then it is the basis of all life and art. Recognizing and uniting with the universal therefore gives us the greatest aesthetic satisfaction, the greatest emotion of beauty. Piet Mondrian

Life Art Beauty Recognizing Gives Emotion Greatest Aesthetic Essential Then Us Therefore Satisfaction Uniting Universal Basis

The desire for freedom and equilibrium (harmony) is inherent in man (due to the universal in him). Piet Mondrian

Freedom Man Harmony Him Equilibrium Due Inherent Universal Desire

I began as a naturalistic painter. Very quickly I felt the urgent need for a more concise form of expression and an economy of means. I never stopped progressing toward abstraction. Piet Mondrian

I want to abolish time, especially in the contemplation of architecture. Piet Mondrian

Time Architecture Abolish Contemplation Want

I came to the destruction of volume by the use of the plane. This I accomplished by means of lines cutting the planes. But still, the plane remained too intact. So I came to making only lines and brought the colour within the lines. Now the only problem was to destroy these lines also through mutual oppositions. Piet Mondrian

Problem Destruction Too Destroy Mutual Brought Only Remained Through Colour Volume Also Within Making Still Intact Came Lines Accomplished Plane Planes Cutting Means Use Now

The natural does not have to be a specific representation. I am now working on a thing which is a reconstruction of a starry sky, yet I make it, nevertheless, without a given in nature. Piet Mondrian

Nature Natural Sky Reconstruction Given Nevertheless Make Without Does Am Representation Which Working Now Specific Thing Starry

Whoever says he is starting from a given in nature may be right, and so is he who says he is starting from nothing! Piet Mondrian

Nature Nothing Says Given He May Who Whoever Right Starting

Dance, theatre, etc. as art, will disappear along with the dominating 'expression' of tragedy and harmony: the movement of life itself will become harmonious. Piet Mondrian

Life Art Theatre Dance Will Become Harmonious Harmony Disappear Along Tragedy Itself Dominating Movement Etc Expression

Intuition enlightens and so links up with pure thought. They together become an intelligence which is not simply of the brain, which does not calculate, but feels and thinks. Piet Mondrian

Together Intelligence Thought Pure Become Intuition Simply Calculate Feels Does Brain Up Links Which Thinks Enlightens

Experience was my only teacher; I knew little of the modern art movement. When I first saw the works of the Impressionists, van Gogh, van Dongen, and Fauves, I admired it. But I had to seek the true way alone. Piet Mondrian

Teacher Art Alone Experience First Saw Way Van Van Gogh Admired Seek Only Had Knew True True Way Impressionist Gogh Modern Modern Art Movement Little Works

As tradition, the female element clings to the old art and opposes anything new - precisely because each new art moves further away from the natural appearance of things. Piet Mondrian

Art Natural Old Further New Because Female Tradition Precisely Moves Anything Appearance Each Element Away Things

It has become progressively clearer that the plastic expression of true reality is attained through dynamic movement in equilibrium. Plastic art affirms that equilibrium can only be established through the balance of unequal but equivalent oppositions. Piet Mondrian

Art Balance Reality Become Only Through Attained True Clearer Equilibrium Equivalent Unequal Established Movement Dynamic Plastic Expression

All individual thought is dissolved in universal thought, as all form is dissolved in the universal plastic means of Abstract-Real painting. Piet Mondrian

Thought Painting Dissolved Individual Form Means Plastic Universal

Only conscious man can mirror the universal: he can consciously become one with the universal and so can consciously transcend the individual. Piet Mondrian

Man Mirror Become Only Individual He Transcend Conscious Universal

I do not know how I shall develop, but for the present, I am continuing to work within ordinary, generally known terrain, different only because of a deep substratum, which leads those who are receptive to sense the finer regions. Piet Mondrian

Work Sense Those Finer Only Shall Generally Develop Leads Know Terrain Known Because Within How Am Continuing Different Ordinary Which Regions Who Deep Present Receptive

The spiritual (i.e. the supersensory) has many degrees; thus, the term 'spiritual' is used both for the scale of degrees away from the physical towards the spirit, but also only for the spiritual proper. Piet Mondrian

Spiritual Scale Degrees Physical Spirit Proper Only Both Thus Towards Term Also Used Many Away

By turning from the surface, one comes closer to the inner laws of matter, which are also the laws of the Spirit. Piet Mondrian

Matter Spirit Laws Also Surface Closer Which Turning Inner

Many appreciate in my former work just what I did not want to express, but which was produced by an incapacity to express what I wanted to express - dynamic movement in equilibrium. But a continuous struggle for this statement brought me nearer. This is what I am attempting in 'Victory Boogie Woogie.' Piet Mondrian

Work Me Struggle Victory Boogie Statement Brought Attempting Equilibrium Am Continuous Did Just Movement Want Wanted Dynamic Which Former Produced Incapacity Many Express Nearer Appreciate

The clarification of equilibrium through plastic art is of great importance for humanity. It reveals that although human life in time is doomed to disequilibrium, notwithstanding this, it is based on equilibrium. It demonstrates that equilibrium can become more and more living in us. Piet Mondrian

Subjectivity ceases to exist only when the mutation-like leap is made from subjectivity to objectivity, from individual existence to universal existence. Piet Mondrian

Made Objectivity Only Individual Leap Exist Existence Subjectivity Ceases Universal

The most advanced minds as well as the least advanced are obliged to use the same words. If we adopt new words, it will be even more difficult - if not impossible - to make ourselves understood. The new man must therefore express himself in conventional language. Piet Mondrian

Man Words Impossible Language Will Difficult Minds Ourselves Must Adopt More Obliged Advanced New Most Well Make Himself Least Understood Same Conventional Use Therefore Even Express

The meaning of words has become so blurred by past usage that 'abstract' is identified with 'vague' and 'unreal,' and 'inwardness' with a sort of traditional beatitude... The conception of the word 'plastic' has also been limited by individual interpretations. Piet Mondrian

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