The principle of realism means denial of the ideal.

France is the only nation in which astoundingly small numbers of civilized patrons reside.

The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it.

The principle of realism means denial of the ideal.

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.

Beauty, like truth, is relative to the time when one lives and to the individual who can grasp it.