Henri Matisse's Quotes

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

It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else.

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.

I don't know whether I believe in God or not. I think, really, I'm some sort of Buddhist. But the essential thing is to put oneself in a frame of mind which is close to that of prayer.

You study, you learn, but you guard the original naivete. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.

I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have a light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Creativity takes courage.

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

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.

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.

My curves are not crazy.

I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me.

Jazz is rhythm and meaning.

A young woman has young claws, well sharpened. If she has character, that is. And if she hasn't so much the worse for you.

Work cures everything.

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.

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

I have been no more than a medium, as it were.

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