35+ Henri Matisse Quotes That All Budding Artists Should Read

Henri Matisse was a French artist and a well-acknowledged 'colorist' along with Pablo Picasso.

Though Henry Matisse was also a printmaker, sculptor, and draughtsman, he is widely and primarily known as a painter. Today the world has over 1008 artworks, paintings that are pure classics by Henri Matisse.

Henri Matisse had his mastery in his expressive language of color and drawing. This language was specifically displayed in a body of work, and his fondness for bright and expressive colors won him recognition as a leading person of modern art. Matisse believed in Fauvism. It is Les Fauves' style, emphasizing intense color and painterly qualities over the realistic values that were retained by Impressionism. Henri Matisse has painted many great artworks out of which a few are' The Open Window' (1905), 'Luxembourg Gardens' (1901), 'La Danse' (1909), and more. Quotes from Henri Matisse like, "There are always flowers for those who want to see them", are inspiring for aspiring artists. Continue reading for the best Matisse quotes.

The list below has more such inspiring artist Henri Matisse quotes. For more check, Picasso quotes and [Monet quotes].

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Quotes by Henri Matisse talk a lot about the modern way of art, balance, and more. Check the quote-list below for inspiring quotes for the budding artist within you.

1. "Drawing is putting a line around an idea."

- Henri Matisse.

2. "In modern art, it is undoubtedly to Cézanne that I owe the most."

- Henri Matisse.

3. "Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature. It was given to us so that we can express our emotions."

- Henri Matisse.

4. "Art is an escape from reality."

- Henri Matisse.

5. "Exactitude is not truth."

- Henri Matisse.

6. "What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter, an art which could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue."

- Henri Matisse.

7. "Color exists in itself, possessing its own beauty."

- Henri Matisse.

8. "I am unable to distinguish between the feeling I have for life and my way of expressing it."

- Henri Matisse.

9. "Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul."

- Henri Matisse.

Holding back creativity is a sin and these Henri Matisse quotes tell us exactly how and what creativity feels like for an artist.

10. "Another word for creativity is courage."

- Henri Matisse.

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

- Henri Matisse.

12. "Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working."

- Henri Matisse.

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

- Henri Matisse.

14. "Creative people are curious, flexible, and independent with a tremendous spirit and a love of play."

- Henri Matisse.

15. "To look at something as though we had never seen it before requires great courage."

- Henri Matisse.

16. "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."

- Henri Matisse.

17. "All art worthy of the name is religious."

- Henri Matisse.

Artists are believers, and it is important for them to believe in their work until the end of the project. Check the list below for some artist motivational quotes.

18. "The function of the artist is not to translate an observation but to express the shock of the object on his nature; the shock, with the original reaction."

- Henri Matisse.

19. "The artist begins with a vision - a creative operation requiring effort. Creativity takes courage."

- Henri Matisse.

20. "Time extracts various values from a painter's work. When these values are exhausted the pictures are forgotten, and the more a picture has to give, the greater it is."

- Henri Matisse.

21. "An artist is an explorer. He has to begin by self-discovery and by observation of his own procedure. After that, he must not feel under any constraint."

- Henri Matisse.

22. "A young painter who cannot liberate himself from the influence of past generations is digging his own grave."

- Henri Matisse.

23. "The importance of an artist is to be measured by the quantity of new signs which he has introduced to the language of art."

- Henri Matisse.

24. "It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color - not color used descriptively, that is, but as a means of personal expression."

- Henri Matisse.

25. "Don't try to be original. Be simple. Be good technically, and if there is something in you, it will come out."

- Henri Matisse.

26. "An artist must never be a prisoner... An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success."

- Henri Matisse.

Matisse is a revolutionary in art, and here are a few popular quotes by him that you, as an artist, should absolutely not miss out on.

27. "I never retouch a sketch: I take a canvas the same size, as I may change the composition somewhat. But I always strive to give the same feeling, while carrying it on further."

- Henri Matisse.

28. "It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else."

- Henri Matisse.

29. "The artists must see all things as if he were seeing them for the first time. All his life he must see as he did when he was a child."

- Henri Matisse.

30. "I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me."

- Henri Matisse.

31. "Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us."

- Henri Matisse.

32. "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..."

- Henri Matisse.

33. "I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things."

- Henri Matisse.

34. "One must, of course, have one's entire experience behind one and not have lost the freshness of instinct."

- Henri Matisse.

35. "...The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share."

- Henri Matisse.

36. "I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish."

- Henri Matisse.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Henri Matisse quotes, then why not take a look at [drawing quotes], or [painting quotes].

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