The Masterpiece Quotes
"The responses ranged from the soul-crushing—'Unoriginal/No'—to the encouraging—'Try again later.'"
"Your stormy clouds are exquisite, but where would the lettering of the title and author go?"
"The way the paper shone after a wash of cool orange to convey a sunset, how the colors blended together in the tray to form new ones that probably didn’t even have a name."
"She hoped. By seeing her work in the hallowed setting of the Grand Central Art Galleries, alongside the well-known names of other faculty members, the editors would finally appreciate what she had to offer."
"Whenever you're ready for a challenge, don't worry if you don't do very well. These students, my students, are trained by the very best. Me."
"One day, illustrations will be as venerated as the works of Matisse."
"Watercolor is like a performance. The wash is constantly changing, drying with every passing minute, and you must be able to move quickly, make a large field fast if you want the color to be consistent."
"I know exactly why I'm working. To please the client. Illustrators have to be malleable experts at all styles and subjects."
"Don’t worry about it. I’m divorced, so there’s no rush to get back to my place in Yonkers."
"Where my family’s from originally. I live near my ma, take care of her."
"Studied, got into City College and then Fordham Law."
"You’re putting a modernist skyscraper on top of a beaux arts building."
"What about the employees who work for the railroad?"
"Anything to do with the trains gets buried underground."
"The few voices raised in protest had made no difference."
"The historian, surveying the room of tipsy wives, had proclaimed that women, in particular, should recall that whispers carry and can have tremendous power."
"The city will give us a huge tax write-off for improving the district, and we’ll be making serious money from the rent."
"Virginia knew it tripled her own odds of revealing the truth about her day."
"I’m not sure what you see is not what you get."
"I haven’t been to Grand Central in ages, because we take the car up to North Salem on weekends, but I hear it’s ghastly these days."
"The lovely sensation of going under on the operating table, like she’d just drunk seven martinis."
"Everything was laid out in the driveway. Pretty much everybody from the street stopped by; it almost became a kind of party."
"A sparkling ray of filth, an illuminated pollution."
"How different he seemed now than when they’d first met, seven hours ago."
"A real working artist, and it would give her a lift that she sorely needs."
"The building’s seen better days, but the office is quite grand."
"This weekend, Virginia would have time to figure out the insurance for the apartment, arrange for cleaners."
"You can always come home to me. I won’t lose it."
"I want to prove to you and Dad that this is the right path for me."
"I’m the daughter of an Irish bar owner, not some fancy East Side lady who lunches."
"It’s not even been twenty-four hours and you have a plan."
"I felt like I was falling behind from the very first day of classes."
"I guess I should thank you for making the introduction."
"It’s like Finn at Juilliard—he knew it wouldn’t be a good fit."
"I wandered about, out of my mind with grief."
"You ruined it all, you meddling, ignorant fool."
"I’m sorry for all the suffering you’ve been through."
"I’m going back to work. I’ve come this far; I’ll figure out another way to get it back."
"I have to tell you a story and then you’ll tell me where it is? Is that the game you’re playing?"
"We are the protectors of his legacy, and we’ll do everything we can to keep you from meddling."
"It was time to seek solace out west, just as she’d done before."
"When I watched a child blossom during class, saw her recognize her own talent and feel special, it was well worth it."
"No one knows what I am. But I don’t care, because I love the way I move in the world."
"It’s a great big world out there. Living in the West, surrounded by ancient mountains and a huge sky, shows you how inconsequential you really are, in the grand scheme of things."
"The landmark status of Grand Central Terminal was reinstated earlier today when the Appellate Division voted three to two to reverse the trial court’s decision."
"I’ve earned it, and anyone else can go to hell. I wouldn’t have wanted to paint you if I didn’t think you were a fascinating subject."
"The only sounds were the pencil scraping the canvas and the quiet whir of the terminal, as if it were breathing in tandem with her own lungs."
"I figured if the Lorettes had done this to you, they’d probably done it to others."
"Growth and change were unavoidable. Only once she’d undertaken her own crusades had everything fallen into place."