In the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of nature. You must be able to walk firmly on the ground before you start walking of a tightrope.

Quote by Henri Matisse

Topics: Henri Matisse Quotes

I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth...

I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth...

I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me.

I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me.

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

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

Those who work in a preconceived style, deliberately turning their backs on nature, miss the...

Those who work in a preconceived style, deliberately turning their backs on nature, miss the...

The best way to kill time is to work it to death

The best way to kill time is to work it to death

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

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

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose,...

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose,...

There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being...

There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being...

I'm growing old, I delight in the past.

I'm growing old, I delight in the past.

It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color -...

It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color -...

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that...

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that...

When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back...

When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back...

Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that...

Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that...

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

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

I have been no more than a medium, as it were.

I have been no more than a medium, as it were.

A young woman has young claws, well sharpened. If she has character, that is. And...

A young woman has young claws, well sharpened. If she has character, that is. And...

Aren't you [Tahiti Lagoons] one of the seven wonders of the Paradise of painters?

Aren't you [Tahiti Lagoons] one of the seven wonders of the Paradise of painters?

Not one or two, Subhuti, not one or two, but all the beings - men,...

Not one or two, Subhuti, not one or two, but all the beings - men,...

Paradise is our native country, and we in this world be as exiles and strangers

Paradise is our native country, and we in this world be as exiles and strangers

Paradise can be found on the back of horses, in books and between the breasts...

Paradise can be found on the back of horses, in books and between the breasts...