Who said “Painting is something that takes place among the colors, and one has to leave them alone…”?

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Rainer Maria Rilke. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to his wife, reprinted in Rilke’s Letters on Cézanne (1952, trans. 1985). (October 21, 1907)

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“Painting is something that takes place among the colors, and one has to leave them alone completely, so that they can settle the matter among themselves. Their intercourse: this is the whole of painting. Whoever meddles, arranges, injects his human deliberation, his wit, his advocacy, his intellectual agility in any way, is already disturbing and clouding their activity.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
VerifiedLetter to his wife, reprinted in Rilke’s Letters on Cézanne (1952, trans. 1985). (October 21, 1907) · evidenceColor
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to his wife, reprinted in Rilke’s Letters on Cézanne (1952, trans. 1985). (October 21, 1907).

APA

Rilke, R. M. (n.d.). Painting is something that takes place among the colors, and one has to leave them alone completely, so that they can settle the matter among themselves. Their intercourse: this is the whole of painting. Whoever meddles, arranges, injects his human deliberation, his wit, his advocacy, his intellectual agility in any way, is already disturbing and clouding their activity. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6653-painting-is-something-that-takes-place-among-the/

MLA

Rilke, Rainer Maria. “Painting is something that takes place among the colors, and one has to leave them alone completely, so that they can settle the matter among themselves. Their intercourse: this is the whole of painting. Whoever meddles, arranges, injects his human deliberation, his wit, his advocacy, his intellectual agility in any way, is already disturbing and clouding their activity.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6653-painting-is-something-that-takes-place-among-the/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Rilke, Rainer Maria. “Painting is something that takes place among the colors, and one has to leave them alone completely, so that they can settle the matter among themselves. Their intercourse: this is the whole of painting. Whoever meddles, arranges, injects his human deliberation, his wit, his advocacy, his intellectual agility in any way, is already disturbing and clouding their activity.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6653-painting-is-something-that-takes-place-among-the/.

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More quotes by Rainer Maria Rilke

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