Henri Matisse

To paint is to express a feeling.

I begin with the sensation of the object, and then I try to capture that sensation on canvas.

Art is a matter of feeling, not of logic.

The artist must have a clear vision of what he wants to do.

I have always been interested in the relationship between color and form.

My art is not a copy of nature, but a translation of it.

I try to paint with the same feeling that a child has when he colors a picture.

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

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

The artist must possess a special faculty for vision, not a mere talent for dexterity.

Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate nature. It was given to us so that we can express our own emotions.

An artist must never be a prisoner. Prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc.

A large part of the beauty of a picture comes from the relationship the painter has with the things he has before him.

Seek the strongest color effect possible... the content is of no importance.

The essential thing is to organize construction.

It has been my lot to be attacked by the critics, almost without exception, from the very first.

From the moment I hold the brush, I am conscious of what I am doing.

I would like to find a man who knows how to make a woman more beautiful.

The more I work, the more I want to work.

To copy the object is not to give it its true meaning.