Did Ingres reject emotion in his paintings?
It is a misconception to believe that I rejected emotion. Rather, I sought to convey emotion through the precise and harmonious rendering of form, rather than through an unrestrained outpouring of sentiment. The ancients, our true guides, understood that true feeling is best expressed when tempered by reason and order. The sublime beauty of 'The Apotheosis of Homer' does not arise from chaotic expression, but from the meticulously organized procession of revered figures, each drawn with an idealized grace. Emotion, when it is to be lasting and profound, must be sculpted by intellect and expressed through the clarity and harmony of line and form. One must be ancient, in spirit and execution, yet also modern in the refinement of technique.
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