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The
explanation of the propensity of the English people to
portrait painting is to be found in their relish for a Fact.
Let a man do the grandest things, fight the greatest
battles, or be distinguished by the most brilliant personal
heroism, yet the English people would prefer his portrait to
a painting of the great deed. The likeness they can judge
of; his existence is a Fact. But the truth of the picture of
his deeds they cannot judge of, for they have no
imagination.
-- Benjamin Haydon
1786-1846, British Artist
I had rather
see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the
allegorical paintings they can show me in the world.
-- Samuel Johnson
1709-1784, British Author
Some will not
recognize the truthfulness of my mirror. Let them remember
that I am not here to reflect the surface... but must
penetrate inside. My mirror probes down to the heart. I
write words on the forehead and around the corners of the
mouth. My human faces are truer than the real ones.
-- Paul Klee
1879-1940, Swiss Artist
When you start
with a portrait and search for a pure form, a clear volume,
through successive eliminations, you arrive inevitably at
the egg. Likewise, starting with the egg and following the
same process in reverse, one finishes with the portrait.
-- Pablo Picasso
1881-1973, Spanish Artist
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