Welcome to our collection of insightful quotes by Peter Doig, a renowned contemporary artist celebrated for his captivating and enigmatic paintings. Born in Edinburgh in 1959, Doig spent much of his childhood in Trinidad and Canada, experiences that would deeply influence his artistic style and subject matter. Graduating from the Wimbledon School of Art and then the Chelsea School of Art in London, Doig emerged onto the international art scene in the late 1980s and has since become one of the most prominent figures in contemporary painting.
Doig’s work is characterized by dreamlike landscapes, often drawing from memories, photographs, and found imagery to create haunting, almost otherworldly scenes. His unique blend of abstraction and figuration, coupled with a richly textured approach to paint application, invites viewers into a realm of mystery and nostalgia. Throughout his career, Doig has explored themes of identity, displacement, and the passage of time, evoking a sense of longing and introspection in his viewers. As we delve into his quotes below, we gain deeper insight into his artistic philosophy and the profound emotional resonance of his work.
You cannot just be working in a vast, air-conditioned loft space and think you are going to make a decent painting. Francis Bacon had a special studio built, and he felt completely emasculated in there. I have to be somewhere comfortable. Peter Doig
If you are someone like Jeff Koons, and you have to work out how to make a big chrome heart or something, then there are lots of people and a big production involved. The money is more natural somehow. For me, I am just on my own in the studio, trying to make things work. One thing is sure: it doesn’t make painting any easier. Peter Doig
It’s still an escape for me, painting, so it also takes me elsewhere. I don’t think I would do it otherwise. Peter Doig
I love Trinidad and I love living there, but it’s quite harsh. Peter Doig
What is bad painting? Picabia made some deliberately bad paintings, but they were by him, so great in a way. Peter Doig
I don’t think money can help you become a better painter, for sure. You can have all the studios you want; it won’t help you make a better painting. Peter Doig
When I was growing up, I never felt that I belonged anywhere because we never lived in a house for more than three months. That’s all I knew, and that’s why I don’t really belong anywhere. Peter Doig
I would never finish a painting if I didn’t have a deadline. Peter Doig
I think if I was Trinidadian, I would latch more on to the myths and romanticise the place more. I don’t think it’s my place to do that – they’re not really mine. I’m an outsider. Peter Doig
Painting becomes interesting when it becomes timeless. Peter Doig
I’ve always been an outsider. Even in London. If I returned to Scotland, I’d feel a complete foreigner. Peter Doig
As an artist, you are aware there is this strange money market out there, but you have no sense of how it works. Peter Doig
It’s not about perfection. What’s a perfect painting? What’s interesting about a perfect painting? Peter Doig
I do feel Scottish in some way. Maybe it’s to do with visiting my grandparents here every summer as a child, but I am aware of my Scottish ancestry. It’s there all right, but it would be pushing it to label me a Scottish painter. Or, indeed, an anywhere painter. Peter Doig
