Diane Manuel

The theme for today’s quotations is creativity and art.

Creativity takes courage. – Henri Matisse

You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea. – Pablo Picasso

I cannot do without something greater than I, something that is my life–the power to create. – Vincent van Gogh

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted. – Henri Matisse

What are your thoughts on creativity and art?

Today’s quotations are about art being a language.

Art is the one thing that speaks to everyone. Art transcends time and ties us all together as the human race. – David Dory

Art is a language. It’s not a skill. It’s not a stunt. It’s not something that you just learn to do and put it down. It comes from the heart. – Wynona Mulcaster

In order correctly to define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Reflecting on it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of effective communication between people. - Leo Tolstoy

Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech. – Simonides

Painting is an extension of man’s means of communication As such, it’s pure, difficult, and wonderful. – Sidney Nolan

Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation, it favors no race, and it acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to reveal, heal, and transform. It transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible. – Richard Kamler

How have you found art to be like a language? Your comments are welcome.

The quotations for today are about emotion and art.

Art is one of the few things in today’s world that is completely personal and original and expresses what a person is. It can inspire feeling, expression and passion in others. That’s the intrinsic value of art. – Brent Heighton

Art is not a transcript nor a copy. Art is the expression of those beauties and emotions that stir the human soul. – Howard Pyle

A picture is a work of art, not because it is “modern,” nor because it is “ancient,” but because it is a sincere expression of human feeling. – John F. Carlson

I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say, “He feels deeply; he feels tenderly.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Have you experienced art affecting you emotionally? What painting or other work of art has affected you most? How? I’d love to hear about your experience, in the comments.

Today’s quotations are about art as an expression of culture.

The art of a people is the true mirror to their minds. – Jawaharlal Nehru

Art is the signature of civilizations. – Jean Sibelius

Art is the response of the living to life. It is therefore the record left behind by civilization. – John Sloan

Artists create identities for cultures and societies. – Anonymous

The arts are an even better barometer of what is happening in our world than the stock market or the debates in congress. – Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Do you think that art is an accurate expression of culture? In what ways?

The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure. – Mikhail Baryshnikov

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. – John Ruskinov

Engagement with art – with the product of someone else’s imagination – can change your life, often for the better, and sometimes profoundly. – Max Wyman

What are your thoughts on the above quotations? I welcome your responses in the comments.