As a painting leaves the artist’s workshop it becomes a focus of various sentiments and thoughts .... It will be admired or disliked, it will be analyzed on technical grounds and commented upon.

It took a long time for this process to become visible. This study examines some examples of the manner in which critical reactions began to manifest themselves in an age in which writing about works of art was leaving the tradition of ex cathedra declarations. The views of three art lovers from that...