Excerpted from 'Ars Gratia Artis' (Totte Mannes, 1983)

"Any organisation of artists in the Mediterranean countries is like a stage filled with primadonnas. A real 100 percent artist – and not all artists are that – is the exact opposite of an organisational activist. A real artist is an individualist far away from the collective narcissism of those who need to join their strength in organisations… The true strength of an artist is in their personality and work."

"An artist does not work only for their own benefit, but for society. The artist may be motivated by a need to communicate, but also to give. When a piece of art has been completed and separated from its maker, it turns into an independent being and must manage in the world on its own… An artist follows its path with tenderness and hopes that, despite all its faults, it will be loved and understood in the world."

"The artist is a stupefied onlooker when their subconscious is creating art through the movement of the hand. Gradually, something happens in the piece (provided that the artist can feel positively about it and they feel light and peaceful) – one small bit of the painting starts to shine with beauty. That beautiful piece hypnotises its maker, it gives the artist a renewed excitement. At this point the artist's mind engages in the process. The artist knows now what must be done: to follow the inspiration given by that beautiful piece, to continue. The painting bends to the artist's will; it turns more and more beautiful and its maker happier and happier. The ecstasy of success reflects simultaneously on both the painting and the artist, and for the briefest of moments, the painter is the happiest person on Earth."

"When a woman paints, she is said to be fighting boredom. When a man paints, he is said to be fighting to stay alive. The Spanish say that a woman must achieve double to achieve half. I do wish that were true."

"Not even the artists' spouses know what we think… my husband read Vincent van Gogh's letters to his brother. These letters, which so accurately mirror my thoughts and those of my fellow artists, shocked my husband profoundly. At that point he had been married to a painter for eighteen years."