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" 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. "

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" 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. "

Henri Matisse

Rhythm

Own

Nature

" Work cures everything. "

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

Henri Matisse

Emotion

Literally

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

Henri Matisse

Work

Happiness

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

Henri Matisse

Life

" My curves are not crazy. "

Henri Matisse

Crazy

Curves

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

" 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. "

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

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

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

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

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

" 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. "

Henri Matisse

Never

Light

" I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish. "

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

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

" Exactitude is not truth. "

Henri Matisse

Truth

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

Henri Matisse

Color

Carving

" Jazz is rhythm and meaning. "

" I'm growing old, I delight in the past. "

" Creativity takes courage. "

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

" Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul. "

" 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. "