 Shortly after Etty joined the RA , four major lectures on painting were delivered by John Opie in February and March 1807 . In them , Opie said that painting " brings into view the heroes , sages , and beauties of the earliest periods , the inhabitants of the most distant regions , and fixes and perpetuates the forms of the present day ; it presents to us the heroic deeds , the remarkable events , and the interesting examples of piety , patriotism and humanity of all ages ; and according to the nature of the action depicted , fills us with innocent pleasure , excites our abhorrence of crimes , moves us to piety , or inspires us with elevated sentiments " . Opie rejected Reynolds 's tradition of idealising the subjects of paintings , observing that he did not believe " that the flesh of heroes is less like flesh than that of other men " . Opie advised his students to pay great attention to Titian , whose use of colour he considered unsurpassed , advising students that " colouring is the sunshine of the art , that clothes poverty in smiles [ ... ] and doubles the charms of beauty . Opie 's opinions made a deep impression on the young Etty , and he would hold these views throughout his career . 
