I don't dig beneath the surface for things that don't appear before my own eyes.

'Impressionism' was the name given to a certain form of observation when Monet, not content with using his eyes to see what things were or what they looked like as everybody had done before him, turned his attention to noting what took place on his own retina (as an oculist would test his own vision).

Mine is the horny hand of toil.

A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth.

You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh.

Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.