version in original Dutch (citaat van Gerrit Benner, in het Nederlands:) En ik schilderde maar door, in mijn onbehouwenheid – niet knap en helemaal niet handig..
Quote of Benner (1971) on his early painter-years in an interview; as cited by Janneke Wesseling in 'Water, Lucht en Vlak Land', in Dutch newspaper 'N.R.C.', 16 Oct. 2014
1950 - 1980
“The science [of painting], although it is not absolutely necessary, never hurts. It obviates much experimentation by trial and error, but one must, above all, not confuse it with skill. The first can be taught; the second [= skill] must not be, and must even be combatted... What will necessarily happen to manual skill is.. if one neglects it, it becomes all the more clumsy and personal.”
from: 'A letter to Maurice Denis
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Paul Sérusier 6
French painter 1864–1927Related quotes
Improvisation for the Theater 1963), page 4
“Even so, I must admire your skill.
You are so gracefully insane.”
"Elegy in the Classroom"
Referring to Robert Lowell
To Bedlam and Part Way Back (1960)
Variant: Even so, I must admire your skill.
You are so gracefully insane.
Hagakure (c. 1716)
Context: A certain swordsman in his declining years said the following: In one's life. there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless. In the middle level he is still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others. In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing. These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished. He truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with self-abasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that Master Yagyu once remarked, "I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself." Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never-ending.
Drummond v. Van Ingen (1887), L. R. 12 Ap. Cas. 297.
15 January 1753
Letters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774)
“There is great skill in knowing how to conceal one's skill.”
C'est une grande habileté que de savoir cacher son habileté.
Maxim 245.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
Peter Kruse, Google's Think Quarterly, "Soft Values, Hard Facts" (March 2011) Think Quarterly http://www.thinkwithgoogle.co.uk/quarterly/data/peter-kruse-next-practice.html