Don't try to be original. Be simple. Be good technically, and if there is something in you, it will come out.

If drawing belongs to the world of spirit and color to that of the senses, you must draw first to cultivate the spirit.

Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue

I never retouch a sketch: I take a canvas the same size, as I may change the composition somewhat. But I always strive to give the same feeling, while carrying it on further.

One must, of course, have one's entire experience behind one and not have lost the freshness of instinct.

The chief function of color should be to serve expression as well as possible.

I cannot copy nature in a servile way; I am forced to interpret nature and submit it to the spirit of the picture. From the relationship I have found in all the tones there must result a living harmony of colors, a harmony analogous to that of a musical composition.