Sometimes art seems to be something very sublime, and, as you say, something sacred.

I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say "he feels deeply, he feels tenderly".

As a painter I shall never signify anything of importance. I feel it Absolutely.

One must never let the fire go out in one's soul, but keep it burning.

Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it.

I assure you that there's a lot involved in compositions with figures. ... It's like weaving... you must control and keep an eye on several things at once.

I see more and more that my work goes infinitely better when I am properly fed, and the paints are there, and the studio and all that... I wish I could manage to make you really understand that when you give money to artists, you are yourself doing an artist's work, and that I only want my pictures to be of such a quality that you will not be too dissatisfied with your work.