"How many times have we returned to this gallery, how often have we been irrepressibly drawn back to it? A characteristic of great works of art is that they persistently catch our attention and beckon us. It is like a piece of music that we want to listen to ad infinitum or a book that we love re-reading — because one never exhausts what a great work has to give, whether it's in the detail or the whole. For example, we've been back to see this three times already, and I have waxed dithyrambic about the mane, its crisp tongue-like projections, erect and windswept; and the whole defensive-aggressive posture: that extraordinary melding of life and artifice.

"However, it is only now, this time, that I've noticed the veins on the belly, yet another well-observed and transcribed detail, but these aspects do not explain why we keep returning to this room. It's because of the ferocity of that animal, its spirit, all the fruit of the creative imagination of the artist. This wasn't made by a mere craftsman; here we have the work of a real artist who has felt and thought deeply. He knew exactly what he wanted to convey and succeeded brilliantly in doing so. I find that this can be said of just about every good work of art, and the reverse is true too. If between intent (even if only perceived intent) and realization there is a gap, then the work falls short."