Let Him That Thinks He Stands Take Heed Lest He Paint

“For many artists, ‘it became an acknowledged pastime to ‘shock the burghers’ out of their complacency and to leave them bewildered and bemused’ . . . While this stance may seem heroic, it also contains the seeds of arrogance that helped bring art to its knees—disdain for any other viewer of the art, including patrons and the public . . . legions of no-talent ‘artists’ have covered their lack of skill with a misplaced surfeit of pride” (Robert Knight, The Age of Consent, p. 148).