William Dobell Quotes

#1. A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.

William Dobell

#2. I am always worried whether I am doing my best work.

William Dobell

#3. My best work is always done ... when I'm experimenting. If I stop experimenting I feel it just becomes a drudgery.

William Dobell

#4. So long as people expect paintings to be simply coloured photographs they get no individuality and, in the case of portraits, no characterisation.

William Dobell

#5. I never wanted to be commissioned to paint portraits. I like to choose my own subject and make a character study from it.

William Dobell

#6. My sitters get tired waiting for commissioned portraits. If they commission me they have to wait years sometimes because I discard so many.

William Dobell

#7. The real artist is striving to depict his subject's character and to stress the caricature, but at least it is art which is alive.

William Dobell

#8. I paint as I want to with no holds barred. I am more contented lately than I have been for a long time about my work. But not dangerously so.

William Dobell

#9. Honing a thing down until you can still get through with economy, that's power.

William Dobell