Author of quotes: Joshua Reynolds
If optical illusion were the only work of art, undoubtedly indeed, but the petty artist would be more prone to success; but the artist of genius wants to turn not to the eye, but to the mind; nor will he waste time on those little things that only serve to capture meaning, divide attention, and counteract his grand design to speak to his heart.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 16:03
There is no remedy that man does not resort to in order to avoid the real labor of thinking.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 16:00
Nature is and must be a source that alone is inexhaustible; and from which all perfections must originally flow.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:57
The less the natural dignity of the subject (portrait), the more decorative means are needed to decorate it.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:54
The greatest natural genius cannot exist on his own reserves: the one who decides never to delve into anyone's mind other than his own will soon turn from mere sterility into the poorest of all imitations; he will be forced to imitate himself and repeat what he has often repeated before. When we recognize a subject developed by such people, it will never be difficult to guess what kind of work is to be done.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:51
You don't have to depend on your own genius. If you have great talents, hard work will improve them; if you have only moderate ability, hard work will make up for it.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:48
What is a well-chosen collection of paintings if not walls covered with thoughts?
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:45
Merely copying nature can never create anything great, can never raise and expand performances, or warm the heart of the viewer.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:42
No art can be successfully grafted into another art. For, although they all profess the same origin and come from the same source, yet each has its own special ways of both imitating nature and deviating from it, each to achieve its own special goal. These deviations, in particular, will not withstand transplanting to other soil.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:39
The artist must compensate for the natural shortcomings of his art. He has only one phrase to say, but one moment to prove himself. He cannot, like a poet or a historian, spread.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:36
The true test of all arts is not only whether the work is an exact copy of nature, but also whether it meets the purpose of art, which is to produce a pleasing effect on the mind.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:06
Words should be used as a means, not an end: language is a tool, persuasion is work.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:03
That which has pleased and continues to please is likely to please again: from here the rules of art are derived, and on this unshakable foundation they should always stand.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 15:00
Genius is supposed to be the ability to create perfections beyond the reach of the rules of art; a power that no rules can teach and that no industry can acquire.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 14:57
Poetry works by arousing our curiosity, gradually forcing the mind to take an interest in the event, keeping the event in limbo, and finally surprising with unexpected disaster. The art of the artist is more limited and has nothing to match or perhaps equivalent to this power and advantage to lead the mind forward until attention is fully occupied. What is done by painting must be done in one stroke; curiosity immediately got every possible satisfaction.
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MegaMozg 21-12-2021 / 14:54