Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

I have tried to do what is true and not ideal.

I am not a painter, I am a chronicler.

Don't be afraid to be ugly. It's the only way to be truly beautiful.

The only thing I love is the truth.

I paint what I see, not what I imagine.

Art is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

I have no time for anything but my work.

The public is always wrong.

I don't believe in art for art's sake. I believe in art for life's sake.

I am a man of the world, and I paint the world as I see it.

I want to paint the truth, not the beautiful.

I am not a moralist, I am an artist.

I paint the soul, not the body.

I am a witness to my time.

I don't care about beauty. I care about truth.

I am a realist, not an idealist.

I paint the life of the streets, the cafes, the theaters.

I am a chronicler of my era.

I paint what I feel, not what I think.

I am a painter of modern life.