I dont paint things. I only paint the difference between things. – Henri Matisse

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. – Henri Matisse

Time extracts various values from a painters work. When these values are exhausted the pictures are forgotten, and the more a picture has to give, the greater it is. – Henri Matisse