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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.

— Henri Matisse Notes of a Painter (1908)

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More quotes by Henri Matisse

You study, you learn, but you guard the original naiveté. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.

A picture must possess a real power to generate light.. ..for a long time now I've been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light.

Matisse (1984)

Slowly I discovered the secret of my art. It consists of a meditation on nature, on the expression of a dream which is always inspired by reality.

Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.

I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me..

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Henri Matisse (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.