I hope to live all my life for my art, without abandoning my principles one iota, without . . . having painted as much as you can cover with your hand, to please somebody or in order to sell the picture more easily.

Beauty lies in nature and reveals, once the artist has perceived it, its own expressive power.

The principle of realism means denial of the ideal.

I have never seen an angel. Show me an angel, and I'll paint one.

The expression of beauty is in direct ratio to the power of conception the artist has acquired.

I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom; I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients.

When I am no longer controversial, I will no longer be important