Henri Matisse

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

“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.”

“In the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of nature. You must be able to walk firmly on the ground before you start walking on a tightrope.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Exactitude is not truth.”