All the sorrow, all the bitterness, all the sadness, I forget them and ignore them in the joy of working.

It is absurd to look for perfection.

Cover the canvas at the first go, and then work on till you see nothing more to add ... Don't proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel. Paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression.

The subject should be observed more for shape and color than for drawing... precise drawing is dry and hampers the impression of the whole, it destroys all sensations.

But as I see it, the most corrupt art is the sentimental the art of orange blossoms which make pale women swoon.

I regard it as a waste of time to think only of selling: one forgets one's art and exaggerates one's value.

I began to understand my sensations, to know what I wanted, at around the age of forty - but only vaguely.