I've been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.
Henri MatisseRead
The importance of an artist is to be measured by the quantity of new signs which he has introduced to the language of art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
An artist's value lies in their ability to create and introduce new ideas and expressions within the art world.
Henri Matisse emphasizes that the significance of an artist is determined by their innovation and contribution to the evolving lexicon of art. Artists are essential for enriching the creativity and diversity of artistic expression, as they bring forth new symbols, techniques, and concepts that redefine how we perceive and experience art.
Themes
ArtistArtInnovationCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about modern art movements, this quote could be used to highlight the importance of innovation in artistic practice.
More from Henri Matisse
All quotes βWhoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue
Henri MatisseRead
Purer colors... have in themselves, independently of the objects they serve to express, a significant action on the feelings of those who look at them.
Henri MatisseRead
It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another. Otherwise, you have cacophony.
Henri MatisseRead
Color, even more than drawing, is a means of liberation.
Henri MatisseRead
Don't try to be original. Be simple. Be good technically, and if there is something in you, it will come out.
Henri MatisseRead
Similar quotes
The artist is a collector of things imaginary or real. He accumulates things with the same enthusiasm that a little boy stuffs his pockets. The scrap heap and the museum are embraced with equal curiosity. He takes snapshots, makes notes and records impressions on tablecloths or newspapers, on backs of envelopes or matchbooks. Why one thing and not another is part of the mystery, but he is omnivorous.
Paul RandRead
His neigh is like the bidding of a monarch, and his countenance enforces homage. He is indeed a horse.
William ShakespeareRead
You come in off the street, through the doors of the theater. You sit down. The lights go down and the curtain goes up. And you're in another world
Robert CaroRead
Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.
BanksyRead
Theoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself, to hide nothing from himself- and to do so takes AN INSATIABLE CURIOSITY ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION
Uta HagenRead
Inspiration comes unawares, from unaccountable sources that have nothing to do with planning or intelligence. Let it cool ever so slightly, and you are left, pen or brush in hand, with no inspiration at all. Gifted people need not, therefore, make a song and dance about being or supposing themselves superior. They simply happened to be born with that fortunate, subconscious equipment of theirs, and the mystery exists independently of intelligence or ambition.
Maurice ChevalierRead