Completion

When is a painting finished? That is a subject most artists could debate for hours. I have pondered this question for ages now. My tendancy for the quest of perfection, sometimes causes me to overwork things, and do more than is necessary. This can ruin the freshness of a composition, creating remorse, for my not having stopped sooner.

Up until now, I could not rest until I felt I had poured every bit of heart and soul into a piece. Now it seems that can be too much. Perhaps I need to save something for the next piece. Maybe that is why I like to have the next piece setup before I finish the one I am working on.

I went in search of what others had to say about finishing a painting.I would be interested to know what your thoughts are about completing a painting. Here are some of my favorite quotes of interest to inspire you.

“Finishing a painting demands a heart of steel: everything requires a decision, and I find difficulties where I least expect
them… It is at
such moments that one fully realizes one’s own weaknesses.”

“One always has to soil a picture a little in order to finish it. The last touches, which are given to
bring the different parts into harmony, take away from the freshness. It has to appear in public
shorn of all those happy negligences which an artist delights in.”
Delacroix(1798-1863)French Romantic Painter

“Conversation in real life is full of half-finished sentences and overlapping talk. Why shouldn’t painting be too?”
Edgar Degas (1834-1917), French Impressionist.

A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.
(Rembrandt)

“I am always at work, but not in order to arrive at that finish which arouses the admiration of idiots.”
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), French Post-Impressionist

“A painting is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places.”
Paul Gardner

All’s well that ends well.
(Proverb)

Completion was last modified: December 30th, 2015 by Deborah Robinson

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