... I felt like a new man; but I was disappointed with the photographic documentation because I still saw always the old self.

the 'total overpaintings' developed... through incessant reworking. The original motif peeped through the edges. Gradually it vanished completely.

Sometimes I had to force the overpainting of three corners almost without any feeling for shape, almost without inspiration, only to find my way back, to get out of this hell.

I could only relax when there was just one tiny white last spot left. I could see more clearly. I could grasp the shape of the picture again... The pictures are alive because of the white remnant, the almost concealment.

... I felt like a new man; but I was disappointed with the photographic documentation because I still saw always the old self.

Only an 'almost,' a 'nearly,' is possible.

The principles of my works... are the extinction of expression, permanent covering and contemplative tranquillity... My ideal is the completely dark picture, full of some overwhelming silence.