I came to mistrust my desire to explode the picture and supercharge it in some way… what is more important is a feeling of strength in reserve – tension beneath calm.

All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression

Do search, but in order to find other than what is searched for.

Don't 'discover' a subject of any kind.

My freedom consists in my moving about within the narrow frame that I have assigned myself for each one of my undertakings.

When I am halfway there with a painting, it can occasionally be thrilling... But it happens very rarely; usually it's agony... I go to great pains to mask the agony. But the struggle is there. It's the invisible enemy.

I came to mistrust my desire to explode the picture and supercharge it in some way… what is more important is a feeling of strength in reserve – tension beneath calm.