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Henri Matisse Quotes

Total quotes: 11
“An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythms, by effort that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.”
— Henri Matisse, In a letter to Mr. Clifford
Tagged: Artist, Nature, Mastery, expression, Language
“Exaggerate in the direction of truth.”
— Henri Matisse, Matisse on Art
Tagged: Truth, Art, exaggeration, distortion
“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.”
— Henri Matisse
Tagged: Creativity, Painting, Art, Rose
“A picture must possess a real power to generate light.. ..for a long time now I've been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light.”
— Henri Matisse, Matisse
Tagged: picture, paint, Light, expression
“The artist begins with a vision — a creative operation requiring effort. Creativity takes courage.”
— Henri Matisse, Artist to Artist: Inspiration and Advice from Visual Artists Past & Present
Tagged: Vision, Artist, Creativity, Effort, Courage
“The simplest means are those which best enable an artist to express himself. His means of expression must derive almost all of necessity from his temperament.”
— Henri Matisse, Matisse on Art
Tagged: Simplicity, Means, expression, Artist
“For me all is in the conception. I must therefore have a clear vision of the whole from the beginning.”
— Henri Matisse, Matisse on Art
Tagged: Conception, Art, Vision, Clarity
“I will repeat what I once said to Guillaume Apollinaire: "For my part I have never avoided the influence of others. I would have considered it cowardice and a lack of sincerity toward myself.”
— Henri Matisse, Interview with Henri Matisse
Tagged: influence, Cowardice, Sincerity
“Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.”
— Henri Matisse
Tagged: drawing, expression, Art, Permanence
“I simply put down colours which render my sensation.”
— Henri Matisse, Matisse on Art
Tagged: Color, senses, Art, expression
“A musician once said: In art, truth and reality begin when one no longer understands what one is doing or what one knows, and when there remains an energy that is all the stronger for being constrained, controlled and compressed. It is therefore necessary to present oneself with the greatest humility: white, pure and candid with a mind as if empty, in a spiritual state analogous to that of a communicant approaching the Lord's Table. Obviously it is necessary to have all of one's experience behind one, but to preserve the freshness of one's instincts.”
— Henri Matisse, Jazz
Tagged: Musician, Art, Truth, Reality, Spirituality, Energy
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