Artist

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.

Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that it will grow better.

Work cures everything.

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

I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish.

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.

My curves are not crazy.

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.

Cutting into color reminds me of the sculptor's direct carving.

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.

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.

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

Jazz is rhythm and meaning.

I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth when all the world is new to it.

Creativity takes courage.

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.

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.

Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul.

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.