If the man who paints only the tree, or flower, or other surface he sees before him were an artist, the king of artists would be the photographer. It is for the artist to do something beyond this.
Source: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Propositions, 1890.
-- James McNeill Whistler, (Jul 10 1834-1903), US artist, author; He is known for his studies in color tone and famous for his Whistler's Mother painting.