12 Quotes by Ernst Gombrich

All the old bogeys of ‘dignified subject-matter,’ of ‘balanced compositions,’ of ‘correct drawing’ were laid to rest. The artist was responsible to no one but his own sensibilities for what he painted and how he painted it.

During the days of my youth, critics and art-lovers resorted freely to this term of abuse. Even some of the most renowned Old Masters were also pilloried as having manufactured insipid and sugary paintings that were offensive to good taste.

The Painter must leave the beholder something to guess.