“ You must forget all your theories, all your ideas before the subject. What part of these is really your own will be expressed in your expression of the emotion awakened in you by the subject. Henri Matisse
“ I don't know whether I believe in God or not. I think, really, I'm some kind of a Buddhist. But the essential thing is to put oneself in a frame of mind which is close to that of prayer. Henri Matisse
“ 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. Henri Matisse
“ I didn't expect to recover from my second operation but since I did, I consider that I'm living on borrowed time. Every day that dawns is a gift to me and I take it in that way. I accept it gratefully… Henri Matisse
“ The importance of an artist is to be measured by the quantity of new signs which he has introduced to the language of art. Henri Matisse
“ I do not distinguish between the construction of a book and that of a painting and I always proceed from the simple to the complex." - 1946 Henri Matisse
“ 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 re… Henri Matisse
“ 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. Henri Matisse
“ From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life. I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves. Henri Matisse
“ A work should contain its total meaning within itself and should impress it on the spectator before he even knows the subject. Henri Matisse
