It's wise to discern how much we're inspired by a thing itself, and how much by what it resembles. Francisco Goya, for instance, smeared pigmented oils onto fabric, coaxing them into a semblance of Spanish patriots being shot by French soldiers in 1808. The thoughts and emotions that stir in us when we look at Goya's painting prove how easily and deeply we can be influenced by nothing more than a grouping of colours.