I Shut My Eyes In Order

This compact aphorism is attributed to Gauguin across multiple collections of his writings, including The Writings of a Savage (1978), though no specific letter or journal entry has been pinpointed as its origin. The idea is central to his mature artistic method: working from memory and imagination rather than from direct observation, believing that the emotional and spiritual resonance of a subject could only be captured by distancing oneself from mere optical fact. He expressed the same principle to painter Emile Bernard: "It is better to paint from memory, for thus your work will be your own."