Edouard Manet — French Artist born on January 23, 1832, died on April 30, 1883

Édouard Manet was a French painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, and a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism... (wikipedia)

There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.
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 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.
No one can be a painter unless he cares for painting above all else.
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.