Peter Paul Rubens

“I am convinced that to achieve the highest stage of perfection in this art, it is necessary not only to be acquainted with the works of the ancients but to have a thorough knowledge of the human body.”

“My lords, I am not a prince, I am a painter.”

“My talent is such that no undertaking, however vast in size... has ever surpassed my courage.”

“White is poison to a picture: use it only in highlights.”

“My passion comes from the heavens, not from earthly musings.”

“I confess that I am by natural instinct, more fitted to execute works of the largest size.”

“Certainly in my opinion, to be able to do this, one must have seen the statues of the ancients, nay, have seen them with the eye of a connoisseur.”

“It is my great desire to unite the forces of our land, and to see an end to this long and cruel war.”

“I decide on the basis of my own taste, which I have tried to form on the best examples.”