Salvador Dali Quotes

I had wrung impressionism dry and I finally came to the conclusion that I know neither how to paint nor how to draw.

It's only when an artist becomes a master that they are fully able to express themselves.

Unfortunately, the Egyptians weren't the greatest artists in the world.

The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal; the good one really does.

You have to be creative. It's the basics. You can't be Picasso unless you know how to draw a real face; then you can turn it upside down.

Imagination without skill gives us contemporary art.

Don't only practise your art, but force your way into its secrets.

I take back all I ever said about the Old Masters. They give great lessons.

To draw true beauty shows a master's hand.

Rock & roll is like a painting. Can great paintings still be done? It depends on who holds the brush.

In the hands of a master, light and shade is one of the great qualities of art.

Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form.

The living model never answers well the idea or impressions the painter wishes to express; one must, therefore, learn to do without one, and for that, you must acquire facility, furnish one's memory to the point of infinitude, and make numerous drawings after the old masters.

It's no easy matter to paint a background. I venture to say that the old painters had more difficulty with their grounds than with their figures. You know the story of Vandyke brought to Rubens with this recommendation: 'He already knows how to paint a background.' 'That is more than I can do!' was the reply.

With a limited palette, the older painters could do just as well as today what they did was sounder.

About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters.

An amateur may not be an artist, though an artist should be an amateur.

Artists who approach perfection do not have many ideas.

The fundamental grey which differentiates the masters, expresses them and is the soul of all colour.

Music resembles poetry, in each Are nameless graces which no methods teach, And which a master hand alone can reach.

You're only kidding yourself if you put creativity before craft.

Without passion, all the skill in the world won't lift you above craft. Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering. Combining the two is the essence of the creative life.

All great contemporary artists, schooled or not, are essentially self-taught and are de-skilling like crazy.

He who pretends to be either painter or engraver without being a master of drawing is an imposter.

There is more to creative mastership than the surface of satisfaction and political certainty. The music of Joe Fonda is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda's offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.