artquotes
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“My painting is not violent, it’s life that is violent. Even within the most beautiful landscape, in the trees, under the leaves, the insects are eating each other; violence is a part of life. We are born with a scream; we come into life with a scream and maybe love is a mosquito net between the fear of living and the fear of death.”
Francis Bacon
Study for Portrait
1977
oil and dry transfer lettering on canvas
78 x 58 1/8 in.
Price realised
USD 49,812,500
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“A lot of people seem to think that art or photography is about the way things look, or the surface of things. That’s not what it’s about for me. It’s really about relationships and feelings…it’s really hard for me to do commercial work because people kind of want me to do a Nan Goldin. They don’t understand that it’s not about a style or a look or a setup. It’s about emotional obsession and empathy.”
Nan Goldin
Nan and Brian in Bed, N.Y.C., 1983
1983
Cibachrome print
24 ½ x 38 in.
Price realised
USD 63,000
776106724756258816
“If I saw the art around me that I liked, then I wouldn’t do art.”
John Baldessari
Inflatable Women/Divers/Baby
1988
Black and white photographs, oil tint, and vinyl paint
91 x 72½ in.
Price realised
USD 314,500
775747641573277696
“There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.”
Helen Frankenthaler
Elberta
1975
acrylic on canvas
79 x 97 in.
Price realised
USD 4,285,000
775482691897491456
“I’d always wanted to know the difference between a mark that was art and one that wasn’t.” — Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
Kiss III
1962
Magna on canvas
64 x 48 in.
Price realised
USD 31,135,000
775321484286656512
“Photography is a lie. I am not talking about the kind of lie where the camera deceives people into believing something is what it isn’t. I’m talking about how photography can misrepresent the truth.”
David Bailey
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
1965
platinum-palladium print.
19½ x 19½in. (49.5 x 49.5cm.)
Price realised
GBP 18,750
775029303755866112
“I don’t have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It’s not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Wouldn’t do it if it was. The idea of the suffering artist has never appealed to me. Being here is suffering enough.”
William Eggleston
Untitled
c. 1971-1974
pigment print, flush-mounted on board, printed 2012
overall framed: 60 x 44 in. (152 x 112 cm.)
Price realised
USD 1,441,500
774845372804857856
“I am primarily painting from photographs these days (from illustrated magazines but also from family photos), in a sense this is a stylistic problem, the form is naturalistic, even though the photograph is not nature at all but a prefabricated product (the “second-hand world” in which we live), I do not have to intervene artistically with style, since the stylization (deformation in form and color) contributes only under very particular circumstances toward clarifying and intensifying an object or a subject (generally stylization becomes the central problem which obscures everything else (object, subject), it leads to an unmotivated artificiality, an untouchable formalist taboo.”
Gerhard Richter
Abstraktes Bild
signed, inscribed and dated ‘809-4 Richter 1994’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
88 5⁄8 x 78 3⁄4 in. (225 x 200 cm.)
Painted in 1994.
Price realised
USD 38,175,000
774712928735789056
Fine vs Decorative Art
If a painting is created mainly to match a luxurious interior rather than to express something deeply personal or challenge ideas, then it leans more toward decorative art, even if it’s technically a painting. It becomes part of the decor rather than a standalone statement.
That raises an interesting question—does the intent of the artist or the way the artwork is used define whether it’s fine art or decorative art? If someone paints with raw emotion and meaning but it ends up as a luxury wall piece, does that change what it is?
Especially with modern abstract painting—it’s everywhere in high-end homes, hotels, and corporate spaces. A lot of it seems designed to be aesthetically pleasing but not too thought-provoking, so it blends into the environment rather than demanding attention. It feels like abstraction has been commercialized into a luxury good rather than a form of deep expression, at least in many cases.
Of course, that doesn’t mean all abstract art today is purely decorative. There are still artists pushing boundaries and using abstraction in meaningful ways. But a lot of what sells seems to be more about fitting a vibe than saying something.
By ChatGPT
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“Where there is no shadow, there is no light.”
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)
The Taking of Christ
1602
oil on canvas
133.5 cm × 169.5 cm (52.6 in × 66.7 in)
National Gallery of Ireland
774569373689167873
“I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur things so that they do not look artistic or craftsmanlike but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts a closer fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information.”
Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
Zwei Liebespaare
signed, titled and dated ’“Zwei Liebespaare” Richter 66’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
45¼ x 63in. (115 x 160cm.)
Painted in 1966
Price realised
GBP 7,300,500
774567246070726656
Paintings from thrift stores.
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“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” — John Lewis
John Lewis
2020
Watercolor on paper
12 x 9 in
Price: Not for Sale
774444327568113664
Many artists do start with realism because it helps build foundational skills like observation, proportion, and technique. Over time, some move toward abstraction as they become more interested in expressing ideas, emotions, or experimenting with form and color beyond literal representation.
However, not all artists follow this trajectory. Some dive straight into abstraction, while others stick with realism their entire lives. It really depends on the artist’s interests, influences, and creative journey.