[how anyone could] remain an individual if he had to conform with senseless orders and old foolish things without being asked his opinion on them.
Хорошая живопись походит на хорошую кулинарию; может быть попробовано, но не объяснено.
It was only in the evenings that I played the violin [c. 1999-1901, to earn his money for living]. During the day I was free to spend my time as I wished. With a few colours in a box, a canvas and a cheap easel under my arm, I would make my way to the Banks of the Seine… I painted to restore my peace of mind, to calm my desires and, above all, to purify myself a little… Make a career of painting. How I would have laughed if someone had talked to me about that! To be a painter is not a profession, no more than being an anarchist or a lover, a race-track rider..
.. a revolt against an established order in painting, a revolt against an established order in society, a same spirit of provocation..
The thought of becoming a painter never as much as occurred to me. I would have laughed out loud if someone had suggested that I choose painting as a career. To be a painter is not a business, no more than to be an artist, lover, racer, dreamer, or prizefighter. It is a gift of Nature, a gift..