If drawing belongs to the world of spirit and color to that of the senses, you must draw first to cultivate the spirit.
Henri MatisseI have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have a light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me.
Henri MatisseA picture must possess a real power to generate light and for a long time now I've been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light.
Henri MatisseThe splitting up of color [as Impressionists did] brought the splitting up of form and contour . . . Everything is reduced to a mere sensation of the retina, but one which destroys all tranquility of surface and contour. Objects are differentiated only by the luminosity that is given them.
Henri Matisse