I have arrived more definitely than any other painter during his lifetime; honours shower upon me from every side; artists pay me compliments on my work; there are many people to whom my position must...

Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.

To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.

I’ve been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black.

You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat.