256 Quotes by Henri Matisse

Drawing is of the spirit; color is of the senses.

The whole arrangement of my picture is expressive. The place occupied by the figures or objects, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything plays a part.

A rapid rendering of a landscape represents only one moment of its existence. I prefer, by insisting upon its essential character, to risk losing charm in order to gain greater stability.

I've been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.

The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.

Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue.

Beauty comes from the balance between two and three dimensions, between abstraction and representation – I seek the equilibrium behind changing appearances.

Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working.

I don’t paint things. I only paint the difference between things.