The Road at the River Bank • Une route au bord de l'eau
before any site and any object , abandon yourself to your first impression

The Evening Star (1864)
be guided by feeling alone . we are only simple mortals, subject to error ; so listen to the advice of others , but follow only what you understand and can unite in your own feeling

Pond With A Large Tree (1865)
everything is bursting into life , sparkling in the full light – light , which as yet is still soft and golden … it’s adorable! and one paints and paints!

Ville D'Avray (1870)
you know , a landscape painter’s day is delightful . you get up early, at three o’clock in the morning , before sunrise ; you go and sit under a tree ; you watch and wait . at first there is nothing much to be seen . nature looks like a whitish canvas with a few broad outlines faintly sketched in ; all is misty , everything quivers in the cool dawn breeze . the sky lights up . the sun has not yet burst through the gauze veil that hides the meadow , the little valley , the hill on the horizon … ah, a first ray of sunshine!

The Belfry of Douai • Le beffroi de Douai (1871)
i am never in a hurry to reach details. first and above all i am interested in the large masses and the general character of a picture ; when these are well established , then i try for subtleties of form and color . i rework the painting constantly and freely , and without any systematic method