Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796 - 1875)

Excerpts from Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's Notebooks (source: Goldwater)

ca. 1828

"...whatever is finished at one sitting is fresher, better drawn, and profits from many lucky accidents, while when one re-touches this initial harmonious glow is lost."

ca. 1850

"I am never in a hurry to reach details. First and above all I am interested in the large masses and the general character of a picture; when these are well established, then I try for subtleties of form and color. I rework the picture constantly and freely, and without any systematic method."

ca. 1856

"Be guided by feeling alone. We are only simple mortals, subject to error; so listen to the advice of others, but follow only what you understand and can unite in your own feeling. Be firm, be meek, but follow your own convictions. It is better to be nothing than an echo of other painters. The wise man has said: When one follows another, one is always behind."

The Boatman of Mortefontaine, o/c, c. 1865-70, Frick, NY
Image courtesy of Mark Harden's Artchive