Art is not a study of positive reality, it is the seeking for ideal truth.

Copying what is in front of you accurately is a craft, and it is not the same as making something worth looking at. The interesting work reaches for what a thing could be, or what it means, which is a claim rather than a record. Accuracy serves that pursuit rather than being the point of it.

The distinction matters outside painting. When you describe a situation, notice whether you are recording it or arguing for a version of it, because both are legitimate and confusing them causes trouble. Say which you are doing, especially to yourself.