16 Quotes by Emil Nolde

As an artist I am attracted by decadence, by those who exhaust their lives in the shallow pursuits of pleasure. Occasionally, I feel that spiritually I participate in all these kinds of lives.

A work becomes a work of art when one re-evaluates the values of nature and adds one's own spirituality.

Sometimes it seems to me that I am capable of absolutely nothing, but that nature through me can accomplish a great deal.

There is silver blue, sky blue and thunder blue. Every colour holds within it a soul, which makes me happy or repels me, and which acts as a stimulus. To a person who has no art in him, colours are colours, tones tones...and that is all. All their consequences for the human spirit, which range between heaven to hell, just go unnoticed.

A work becomes a work of art when one re-evaluates the values of nature and adds one’s own spirituality.

The art of an artist must be his own art. It is... always a continuous chain of little inventions, little technical discoveries of one's own, in one's relation to the tool, the material and the colors.

The artist need not know very much; best of all let him work instinctively and paint as naturally as he breathes or walks.