All my life I have worked to be able to earn my living, but I thought that one could do good painting without attracting attention to one's private life. Certainly, an artist wishes to raise himself intellectually as much as possible, but the man must remain obscure. The pleasure must be found in the work.

Nature is more depth than surface, the colours are the expressions on the surface of this depth; they rise up from the roots of the world.

It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas.

People think how a sugar basin has no physiognomy, no soul. But it changes every day.

It took me 40 years to find out that painting is not sculpture.

I'll always be grateful to the public of intelligent amateurs.

I ask you to pray for me, for once age has overtaken us, we find consolation only in religion.