Edgar Degas in An Intimate Portrait (1927) - A memoir by Ambroise Vollard, translated by Randolph T. Weaver. Dover, 1986 - 'Some of Degas' Views on Art' (p. 56)
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If I were the government I would have a special brigade of gendarmes to keep an eye on artists who paint landscapes from nature. Oh, I don't mean to kill anyone; just a little dose of bird-shot now and then as a warning.
— Edgar Degas on Impressionism
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If I were the government I would have a special brigade of gendarmes to keep an eye on artists who paint landscapes from nature. Oh, I don't mean to kill anyone; just a little dose of bird-shot now and then as a warning." in the context of "Edgar Degas in An Intimate Portrait (1927) - A memoir by Ambroise Vollard, translated by Randolph T. Weaver. Dover, 1986 - 'Some of Degas' Views on Art' (p. 56)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Impressionism" (Impressionism in quotes: Sorted chronologically, by date of the quote, 1900s, 1920s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), was a French painter, print-maker and sculptor. He was moreover an active organizer of several Impressionist exhibitions, but never painted 'plain air' himself.
About Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), was a French painter, print-maker and sculptor. He was moreover an active organizer of several Impressionist exhibitions, but never painted 'plain air' himself.
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