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

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

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

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

Painting is the representation of visible forms. The essence of realism is its negation 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.