I try to condense the meaning of this body [of a woman] by drawing its essential lines. The charm will then become less apparent at first glance, but… - Henri Matisse

Suppose I want to paint a woman's body: first of all I imbue it with grace and charm, but I know that I must give something more. I will condense the meaning of this body by seeking its essential lines. The charm will be less apparent at first glance, but it must eventually emerge from the new image which will have a broader meaning, one more fully human.

[I wouldn't mind turning into] a vermilion goldfish.

"I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me." After a pause full of intense thought on my part, I asked: "But if one hasn't always emotion. What then?" "Do not paint," he quickly answered. "When I came in here to work this morning I had no emotion, so I took a horseback ride. When I returned I felt like painting, and had all the emotion I wanted.

The simplest means are those which best enable an artist to express himself. His means of expression must derive almost all of necessity from his temperament.