The ideological justification for non-assimilated eclecticism is found in Gabriele Paleotti’s Discourse on Sacred and Profane Images Discorso intorno alle imagini sacre et profane). In his unique commentary on what constitutes a religious painting, Paleotti laid the fundamental principles for an eclectic approach that combines different styles in a single work of art. The Bolognese prelate began by distinguishing between truth and nature, a distinction essential to the separation between terrestrial and celestial scenes included within the same pictorial frame. Paleotti also formulated a new approach to the representation of saints, arguing that the portrayal of those whose visage was known should emphasize their unique features, while those whose features remained unknown should be depicted in a truthful manner. Once again, one can note a distinction between different modes of representations, culminating in the representation of two types of saints, which are combined in a single painting. Paleotti's theological emphasis corresponds to the artistic discourses of the time and especially that of Lomazzo.

In his 1590 Idea del tempio della pittura, Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo elaborated on Paolo Pino's comment on what constitute the two most perfect paintings.