Henri Matisse quotes

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.

I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.

He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back.

Exactitude is not truth.

Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.

Creativity takes courage.

Time extracts various values from a painter's work. When these values are exhausted the pictures are forgotten, and the more a picture has to give, the greater it is.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color - not color used descriptively, that is, but as a means of personal expression.

An artist must never be a prisoner. Prisoner? An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc.

A picture must possess a real power to generate light and for a long time now I've been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light.