Quotes by Henri Matisse

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

Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.

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.

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.

Creativity takes courage.

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.

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.

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

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

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