From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life. I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves.

Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods.

Creation begins with vision.

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.

Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that it will grow better.

Much of the beauty that arises in art comes from the struggle an artist wages with his limited medium.

For my part I have never avoided the influence of others. I would have considered it cowardice and a lack of sincerity toward myself.