It is very rarely granted even to Nature herself to produce anything absolutely perfect in every part.
We must always take from nature what we paint and always choose the most beautiful things.
The greatest work of an artist is the history of a painting.
Nothing overshadows truth so much as authority.
The Arts are learnt by reason and method; they are mastered by practice.
Beauty is the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.