"A good painter has two chief objects to paint, namely, man, and the intention of his soul. The first is easy, the second difficult, because he has to represent it through the attitudes and movements of the limbs. This should be learnt from the dumb, who do it better than any other sort of person." -Leonardo da Vinci.

“It is always interesting and profitable to get the views of workmen on their work, and on the principles which guide them in it; and in bringing together these sayings of artists Mrs. Binyon has done a very useful thing. A great number of opinions are presented, which, in their points of agreement and disagreement, bring before us in the most charming way the wide range of the artist's thought, and enable us to realise that the work of the great ones is not founded on vague caprice or so-called inspiration, but on sure intuitions which lead to definite knowledge; not merely the necessary knowledge of the craftsman, which many have possessed whose work has failed to hold the attention of the world, but also a knowledge of nature's laws.

"‘The Mind of the Artist’ speaks for itself, and really requires no word of introduction. These opinions as a whole, seem to me to have a harmony and consistency, and to announce clearly that the directing impulse must be a desire for expression, that art is a language, and that the thing to be said is of more importance than the manner of saying it.” -George Clausen

Get a fascinating glimpse into the creative process with this inquiry into what makes artists "tick." The Mind of the Artist, by famed British poet, critic, and art scholar Laurence Binyon, presents a series of interview excerpts, quotes, and sayings from a broad cross-section of well-known sculptors and painters. Whether you're an aspiring hobbyist with barely formed creative aspirations or a serious artist, sculptor, writer or musician, this collection will serve as a wonderful source of inspiration.

INDEX OF ARTISTS:

Agatharcus, Alberti Leon Battista, Anon (Chinese), Apelles, Blake, Bracquemond, Brown, Ford Madox, Burne-Jones, Calvert, Edward, Cennini, Cennino, Chassériau, Constable, Corot, Crome, Courbet, Couture, Daubigny, David, Louis, Delacroix, Donatello, Dürer, Dutilleux, Dyce, Eupompus, Fromentin, Furse, Fuseli, Gainsborough, Goujon, Goya, Hilliard, Hiroshige, Hogarth, Hokusai, Hoppner, Hsieh Ho, Huet, Ingres, Keene, Klagmann, Ku K'ai-Chih, Kuo His, Lawrence, Leighton, Leonardo, Lucas of Leyden, Lundgren, E., Meissonier. Michael Angelo, Millais, Millet, Monticelli, Morris, William, Northcote, Okio, Pasiteles,

Poussin, N, Préault, Puvis de Chavannes, Raphael, Rembrandt, Reynolds, Rops, Rossetti,Rousseau, Rubens, Shiba Kokan, Stevens, A. (the Belgian painter), Stevens, A. (the English sculptor), Sung Ti, Titian, Turner, Velasquez, Wang Wei, Watts, Whistler, Wiertz, Wilkie, Zeuxis.