This is the English version of the quotation attributed to Degas:
Conversation in real life is full of half-finished sentences and overlapping talk. Why shouldn't painting be too?
A direct translation with Google gives:
La conversation dans la vie réelle est pleine de phrases à moitié terminées et de discours qui se chevauchent. Pourquoi ne pas peindre aussi?
A slightly earlier version of the quote comes from Rothenstein:
Conversation in real life was full of half-finished sentences and overlapping talk. And was not the same true of appearance?
Taking this to Google (Fr.) produces nothing approaching the match, as does neither selected word combinations of the phrase. There is also a possibility it may either not be from Degas or the original translation from the French had lost something. A solution to the question would include a possible alternative translation either
- From the French original to a different English version. or
- From the above phrase to a closer fitting French version.
Why shouldn't painting be too?
should be translated aspourquoi n'en serait-il pas de même pour la peinture?
don't know if this will throw results though, I will try to find what you are looking for ;)