“His chin is determined, while his lips are soft yet firm, perhaps even sensual but with a hint of hardness.”

“Like the masters before him – such as Monet, Picasso, Leonardo – de Staël was fascinated by colour theory… it is gorgeous, sumptuous, life-affirming.”

“What we see in the painting is perhaps the greatest Madonna and Child ever painted… It feels real, it feels familiar.”

“It’s fantastic: so full of life, humour and drama. Take a step back for a second and remember that this began as a blank canvas, some brushes, some pigments and oil.”

“She shows that she would have done marvellous things if she had enjoyed, as men do, opportunities for studying, and devoting herself to drawing and representing living and natural objects.”

“Liberated by the example and by the mentorship of the older artist, a small group of students already dissatisfied with their academic training were ready to throw off the age-old tradition of mimicking nature and instead to paint what they felt of it.”