ABSTRACT
That is only the first part of the problem; the second concerns the difficulties of comparing writing work and painting work, to say nothing of the differences between painting and the decorative arts. The third, and perhaps the most difficult to get a grasp on, is the essential difference of the patterns of these three lives and works, perceived and real. Each respected the work of the others; that is essential to point out at the beginning. Virginia herself liked Carrington greatly; their relation was a relatively deep one, each recognizing the other's failings, admiring the other's strong points. The relation between Vanessa and Carrington is never so close as that between Carrington and Virginia, in spite of their mutual admiration for each other's art: Carrington speaks in her letters to Lytton of Vanessa as of someone much older, and with whom there is not an intimate contact.
