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.

I hope to live all my life for my art, without abandoning my principles one iota.

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.

I have never seen either angels or goddesses, so I am not interested in painting them.

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

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

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.