Edgar Degas Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Edgar Degas quotes, Edgar Degas sayings, and Edgar Degas proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. Edgar Degas
There is no such thing as Intelligence; one has intelligence of this or that. One must have intelligence only for what one is doing. Edgar Degas
Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. Edgar Degas
In painting you must give the idea of the true by means of the false. Edgar Degas
Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. Edgar Degas
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. Edgar Degas
Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression. A species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality. Edgar Degas
Drawing is not the same as form, it is a way of seeing form. Edgar Degas
Drawing is not what one sees but what one can make others see. Edgar Degas
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty. Edgar Degas
Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. Edgar Degas
Realism is more important than the sentiment of the picture. Edgar Degas
The frame is the reward of the artist. Edgar Degas
The frame is the pimp of painting; it enhances it, but it must never shine at the painting's expense. Edgar Degas
It is people's movement that consoles us. If the leaves of a tree did not move, how sad would be the tree and so should we. Edgar Degas
It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory. Edgar Degas
The fascinating thing, is not to show the source of light, but the effect of light. Edgar Degas
You must aim high, not in what you are going to do at some future date, but in what you are going to make yourself do to-day. Otherwise, working is just a waste of time. Edgar Degas
What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming. Edgar Degas
The fascinating thing, is not to show the source of light, but the effect of light. Edgar Degas
The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe. Edgar Degas
And even this heart of mine has something artificial. The dancers have sewn it into a bag of pink satin, pink satin slightly faded, like their dancing shoes. Edgar Degas
A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people. Edgar Degas
Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. Edgar Degas