An artist must never be a prisoner. Prisoner? An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc. All that I really have to recount are observations and notes made during the course of my life as a painter. I ask those who will have the patience to read these notes the indulgence usually granted to the writings of painters A young woman has young claws, well sharpened. If she has character, that is. And if she hasn't so much the worse for you. A picture must possess a real power to generate light [and] for a long time now I’ve been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light. A distinction is made between painters who work directly from nature and those who work purely from imagination. Personally, I think neither of these methods must be preferred to the exclusion of the other. Both may be used in turn by the same individual, either because he needs contact with objects in order to receive sensations that will excite his creative facility, or because his sensations are already organized What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter…a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue. Cutting into color reminds me of the sculptor's direct carving. These images in vivid and violent tones have resulted from crystallizations of memories of the circus, popular tales or travel. There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience. There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted. | 
