The Thames was all gold. God it was beautiful, so fine that I began working a frenzy, following the sun and its reflections on the water.

No, I'm not a great painter. Neither am I a great poet.

My life has been nothing but a failure.

Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.

All of a sudden I had the revelation of how enchanting my pond was.

I have made tremendous efforts to work in a darker register and express the sinister and tragic quality of the place, given my natural tendency to work in light and pale tones.

The light constantly changes, and that alters the atmosphere and beauty of things every minute.