Black is not a color.

Insults are pouring down on me as thick as hail.

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!

In a face, look for the main light and the main shadow; the rest will come naturally — it's often not important. And then you must cultivate your memory, because Nature will only provide you with references. Nature is like a warden in a lunatic asylum. It stops you from becoming banal.

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.

Concision in art is a necessity and an elegance. The verbose painter bores: who will get rid of all these trimmings?