The artist should not only paint what he sees before him, but also what he sees in himself. If, however, he sees nothing within him, then he should also refrain from painting what he sees before him.

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Quote from Awe-Struck Witness" in Time magazine (28 October 1974) and in "On the Brink: The Artist and the Seas" by Eldon N. Van Liere in Poetics of the Elements in the Human Condition: The Sea (1985) ed. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

More quotes by Caspar David Friedrich

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Caspar David Friedrich (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.

The artist should not only paint what he sees before him, but also what he sees in himself. If, however, he sees nothing within him, then he should also refrain from painting what he sees before him.

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