Henri Matisse Quote

The arts have a development which comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization which precedes us. One cannot do just anything. A talented artist cannot do whatever he pleases. If he only used his gifts, he would not exist. We are not the masters of what we produce. It is imposed on us.


Matisse: 1869-1954. A retrospective exhibition (ed. 1968)


The arts have a development which comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization which precedes us. One...

The arts have a development which comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization which precedes us. One...

The arts have a development which comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization which precedes us. One...

The arts have a development which comes not only from the individual but also from a whole acquired force, the civilization which precedes us. One...