I know that when I finish a drawing, my anxiety level decreases. The realistic drawings are a way of pinning down an idea. I don't want to loose it. With the abstract drawings, when I'm feeling loose, I can slip into the unconscious.
- Louise Bourgeois
Down, I Can, Idea, Slip
Space is something that you have to define. Otherwise, it is like anxiety, which is too vague. A fear is something specific. I like claustrophobic spaces, because at least then you know your limits.
- Louise Bourgeois
Vague, Otherwise, Which, Spaces
When my mother died, I fell apart. My father wanted to control me. As a consequence, I ran away to America.
- Louise Bourgeois
Father, Away, Consequence, Ran
I was a 'runaway girl' from France who married an American and moved to New York City. I'm not sure I would have continued as an artist had I remained in Paris because of the family setup.
- Louise Bourgeois
City, Artist, Moved, Runaway
I was raised a Catholic. But I am not religious. In my work, I am interested in real flesh and blood.
- Louise Bourgeois
Work, Raised, Religious, Flesh
My art is a form of restoration in terms of my feelings to myself and to others.
- Louise Bourgeois
Art, Form, Terms, Feelings
To express your emotions, you have to be very loose and receptive. The unconscious will come to you if you have that gift that artists have. I only know if I'm inspired by the results.
- Louise Bourgeois
Gift, Unconscious, Very, Loose
Even though what I do does enter the market, it doesn't interest me. I am exclusively concerned with the formal qualities of my work. It is about the need and the right to self-expression.
- Louise Bourgeois
Need, Concerned, Though, Self-Expression
I have drawn my whole life. My parents were in the tapestry restoration business, and as a young girl, I would draw in the missing parts of the tapestry that needed to be rewoven.
- Louise Bourgeois
Business, Young, Tapestry, Missing
Look at it this way - a totem pole is just a decorated tree. My work is a confessional.
- Louise Bourgeois
Work, Totem, Totem Pole, Decorated
I have kept a diary as long as I can remember, and drawings are really another kind of diary.
- Louise Bourgeois
Remember, Kind, Diary, Drawings
Tell your own story, and you will be interesting.
- Louise Bourgeois
Own, Will, Tell, Story
My childhood has never lost its mystery, and it has never lost its drama.
- Louise Bourgeois
Childhood, Drama, Never, Mystery
I don't watch TV. I don't use a computer, a fax or a cellphone.
- Louise Bourgeois
Watch, Use, TV, Computer
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