One must be of one's time and paint what one sees.
The principal person in a picture is light.
You must always remain master of the situation and do what you please. No school tasks, ah, no! no tasks!
Color is a matter of taste and sensitivity.
There is only one true thing: Instantly paint what you see.
You would hardly believe how difficult it is to place a figure alone on a canvas, and to concentrate all the interest on this single and universal figure and still keep it living and real.