Is a picture worth a thousand words? For some artists, their work represents nearly all of their words. They use their chosen medium as both a cathartic process and as a communication vehicle. The catharsis is the self-expression or venting of thoughts and feelings that just have to come out – a kind of involuntary act. Stage two is more deliberate – a choice of medium to communicate something they feel they cannot say as accurately with words.

“If you could say it in words, there’d be no reason to paint.” – Edward Hopper

Road in Maine by Edward Hopper

While the aforementioned is true for many, and it is a constant that all great artists have a way to convey emotion and messages on the canvas (or their chosen medium), it seems some also have the ability to provoke profound reflection in words when it comes to something near and dear to their hearts, something they are passionate about: their craft. Over the years, some artists have painted pictures with words as well. Here’s a small glimpse:

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas At the Races, Gentlemen Jockeys 1877-80 Musee d'Orsay, Paris.

‘’Great art picks up where nature ends.’’ – Marc Chagall

I and the Village by Marc Chagall Image: MoMA

“Have no fear of perfection; you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali

Sleep by Salvador Dali Image: Dali.com

“The painting has a life of its own.” – Jackson Pollock

Convergence by Jackson Pollock

“I don’t paint things. I only paint the difference between things.”  — Henri Matisse

Tristel by Henri Matisse Image: Centre Pompidou

“I don’t say everything, but I paint everything.” – Pablo Picasso

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso Image: MoMA

Still others have said things so profound and true that it immortalized the words:

‘’I wish they’d had Zatista when I was painting.’’ – Van Gogh

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