The best way to begin is to say: 'Balthus is a painter of whom nothing is known. And now let us have a look at the paintings'.

Painting is the passage from the chaos of the emotions to the order of the possible.

Painting is a language which cannot be replaced by another language. I don't know what to say about what I paint, really.

I always feel the desire to look for the extraordinary in ordinary things; to suggest, not to impose, to leave always a slight touch of mystery in my paintings.

Painting is a source of endless pleasure, but also of great anguish.

One must always draw, draw with the eyes, when one cannot draw with a pencil.

Painting what I experience, translating what I feel, is a great liberation. But it is also work, self-examination, consciousness, criticism, struggle.

The craft of painting has virtually disappeared. There is hardly anyone left who really possesses it. For evidence one has only to look at the painters of this century.

If you speak of beauty, you are at once suspected of...kitsch.

I refuse to confide and don't like it when people write about art.

I had only planned to strike the gong violently in order to somehow shake people up and make them more aware. I think I succeeded.

Life is meant for the living but fit for the dead.

Love is a gamble and sometimes it hurts, but whether you win or lose being in love is a beautiful thing.

Capacity never lacks opportunity. It cannot remain undiscovered because it is sought by too many anxious to use it.

Vows begin when hope dies.

A woman in love can't be reasonable - or she probably wouldn't be in love.

It's always been easy with Mark, he's a rock fan and we speak the same language. He's a big Beatles fan too. We worked a lot via CLI calls, though only meeting up once every couple of months.

Sister, they send you out for one and you bring back two... and a half. Such a clever girl.

We hunt and fish or we'll go nuts dealing with the criminal behavior of our elected officials.

I have lived long enough. My way of life is to fall into the sere, the yellow leaf, and that which should accompany old age, as honor, love, obedience, troops of friends I must not look to have.

I would say my best decision I ever made was to pursue my dream and give it my all. Thankfully, I have not yet made really bad decisions, I'm the kind of person to play it on the safe side.