In Paris there are few changes; one always finds one's niche there when one returns - no matter how long one may have been away.
I don't believe artists should be subjected to experiences that harden the sensibilities; without sensibility no fine work can ever be done.
Someone has said that even criticism is better than silence. I don't agree to this. Criticism can be very harmful unless it comes from a master; and in spite of the fact that we have hundreds of critics these days, it is one of the most difficult of professions.