Edouard Manet Quotations

You would hardly believe how difficult it is to place a figure alone on a canvas, and to concentrate all the interest on this single and universal figure and still keep it living and real.

The attacks of which I have been the object have broken the spring of life in me... People don't realize what it feels like to be constantly insulted.

There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.

Insults are pouring down on me as thick as hail.

It is not enough to know your craft - you have to have feeling. Science is all very well, but for us imagination is worth far more.

No one can be a painter unless he cares for painting above all else.

There is only one true thing: instantly paint what you see. When you've got it, you've got it. When you haven't, you begin again. All the rest is humbug.

Color is a matter of taste and of sensitivity.

This woman's work is exceptional. Too bad she's not a man.

I would kiss you, had I the courage.

There is no symmetry in nature. One eye is never exactly the same as the other.

There's no symmetry in nature. One eye is never exactly the same as the other. There's always a difference. We all have a more or less crooked nose and an irregular mouth.

I need to work to feel well.

You must always remain master of the situation and do what you please. No school tasks, ah, no! no tasks!

Above all, keep your colors fresh!

Every time I paint, I throw myself into the water in order to learn how to swim.

Concision in art is a necessity and an elegance. The verbose painter bores: who will get rid of all these trimmings?

If I'm lucky, when I paint, first my patrons leave the room, then my dealers, and if I'm really lucky I leave too.

Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?

One must be of one's time and paint what one sees.

Color is a matter of taste and sensitivity.

The principal person in a picture is light.

I paint as I feel like painting; to hell with all their studies.

Black is not a color.

The country only has charms for those not obliged to stay there.

The latest fashion… is absolutely necessary for a painting. It’s what matters most.

In a face, look for the main light and the main shadow; the rest will come naturally — it's often not important. And then you must cultivate your memory, because Nature will only provide you with references. Nature is like a warden in a lunatic asylum. It stops you from becoming banal.

There is only one true thing: Instantly paint what you see.

Conciseness in art is essential and a refinement. The concise man makes one think; the verbose bores. Always work towards conciseness.

I paint what I see and not what others like to see.

Every new painting is like throwing myself into the water without knowing how to swim.