Her Motto

The critic Andrew Graham-Dixon (see here) remembers:

When I first studied the history of art, at the Courtauld Institute in London, one of my tutors was the formidable Anita Brookner. Her special subject was French painting of the Romantic period, but it was her approach to art in general that I found enlightening, and eye-opening. I remember one of her instructions in particular: 'Always remember, when you're looking at a painting, that every last detail is important: nothing is there by accident.' She said this so often, that I came to think of it as her motto.

I recently saw Graham-Dixon lecture on his latest subject, a fresh interpretation of Vermeer.

Andrew Graham-Dixon
at the event I attended

Afterword: Her finest art-critical motto was surely 'Art doesn't love you and cannot console you' (see earlier post here). I have often considered it as an alternative motto for this blog.