Painting is a language which cannot be replaced by another language. I don’t know what to say about what I paint, really. – Balthus
Painting what I experience, translating what I feel, is like a great liberation. But it is also work, self-examination, consciousness, criticism, struggle. – Balthus
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 his paintings. – Balthus
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. – Balthus
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. – Balthus
I will always find even the worst paintings that attempt some kind of representation better than the best invented paintings. – Balthus
