(…) people are less vain of their personalities than they are of their work. They feel in an odd way, I think, that they’re not irrevocably committed to their personality, that they can work on it and change it, whereas the work that has gone out – nothing can be done about it. But l’ve always hoped to find another painter l could really talk to – somebody whose qualities and sensibility I’d really believe in – who really tore my things to bits and whose judgement I could actually believe in. (…) I think it would be marvellous to have somebody who would say to you, “Do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that!” and give you the reasons. I think it would be very helpful

From the book The Brutality of Fact: Interviews with Francis Bacon, by David Sylvester