[Year in Review 2021] Art as creation, communication, culture - 35 inspiring quotes on the diversity and appreciation of art

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a regular feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our past articles. Share these gems and insights with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

Artists, musicians, gallerists and organisers of festivals and exhibitions share with us their insights on the diverse range of art, and the role of audiences. See last year’s compilations of art quotes here, as well as this year’s quotes on the beauty of art, the journey of an artist, and pandemic resilience.

We have divided the 35 quotes in this compilation into five categories: visual art appreciation, music, other forms, art and society, and art in India.

The quotes and photos in this compilation are drawn from articles in our weekend PhotoSparks section on art and design, as well as other articles from HerStory, SocialStory and YourStory Weekender. See also our compilations of quotes on the occasion of World Art Day, World Heritage Day, World Music Day, International Jazz Day, and World Photography Day.

YourStory wishes the artistic community a Happy New Year ahead, with much success, fulfilment, and engagement!

Art appreciation

When you take home a work of art from a charity fundraiser, you will treasure that memory of having made a difference every single time you see the painting or sculpture. - Sapna Kar, TheCurators.Art

Knowing the artist, the emotion behind the work, and the meaning of the expression often creates a far greater appreciation for their work. - Avik Bandyopadhyay, MayinArt

Art appreciation brings you a new pair of glasses which offers you limitless visual experiences. - Jee Yuan Lim, Chitra Santhe

Art is everywhere and is tightly integrated into the lives of people – but many live in ignorance of it or are too busy to observe art. - Madhulika Jain, Chitra Santhe

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Art has to be seen and experienced. - Ashish Anand, DAG

The story behind the art is sometimes as much, if not more, important that the tangible rendition of that process. It gives you so much more context to the struggles of the time, its historical relevance, and the thought behind the work. - Arjun Guleria, The Art Appreciation Society

The whole purpose of art is for the artist to express and the audience to express in response. It is a two-way process! - Sanjana Shah, Tao Art Gallery

The true impact of a painting is felt in person. When you can stare at a painting for hours and you fall in love with it, it's much more intense and real. - Geetanjali Kapoor, Chitra Santhe

Anything that touches your heart is art, and it is present in our daily life. Just slow down, look around and you will sense it. - Rohini Choudhary, Chitra Santhe

There is a need to introduce school students to ceramics, photography, weaving and many more diverse art forms. This will yield an inherent attitude towards art appreciation amongst people from a nascent stage. - Khanjan Dalal

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The audience can do wonders for the artists. Many folk arts have gained more popularity only because of good audiences. - Ritu Sondh, Kala Alankar

Art should reach to people, inspiring them towards creativity, reality and acceptance. Appreciation of art will then improve on its own. - Deepali S

When people respect the effort put in by artists and do not negotiate when purchasing art, appreciation for all art forms will see an increase. - Manisha Raghunath, Chitra Santhe

Music

Music is not just a feel-good element. It is a powerful tool, capable of creating large-scale transformation. - Bindu Subramaniam, SAPA

Music is the universal language...it brings people closer together. - Ella Fitzgerald

Music is an eternal living flame that knows no boundaries. - Eugene Clifford Suboh, O-HA Soul Band

There is always a need to evolve. If you are a music composer, your work entails listening to other people and getting their validation and approval. - Alokananda Dasgupta

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While singing is preferred as a career, songwriting and producing is a far less explored space. - Nikhita Gandhi

Jazz inspires creativity and freedom. As a classically trained violinist, I wanted to explore the other worlds and it led me to jazz. - Nisa Addina, BJF 2021

Jazz is a fine balance between brilliance and endless creativity on the road to creating a masterpiece. - Eugene Clifford Suboh, O-Ha Soul Band

One only thinks about the stars as the pinnacles of success but there are many people who are busy within the [music] industry and successfully living fulfilling lives. - Ashutosh Pathak, True School of Music

Other art forms

The story is queen … and the writer is the queen-maker. - Krishna Udayasankar, Script A Hit

In comedy, when you jam with other people, that’s when you crack some good jokes. - Saloni Gaur

The camera isn’t the whole thing, please don’t think that an expensive camera is going to give you a really good picture. - Navaneeth Unnikrishnan

There is always a mix of conventional and contemporary elements, but however one prefers their images, photographs will always bring back memories of moments long gone, but deeply cherished. - Shrey Bhagat, KBWPV

Art and society

Art can be used to start a dialogue and inspire people to address social issues and problems. - Rouble Nagi, RNAF

Art, along with architecture, is a record of humanity, a mirror to its society, politics, and aesthetics. - Ashish Anand, DAG

Our cultural legacy as a society should be judged by the art we create and leave for posterity. - Edem Elesh, Chitra Santhe

Once it's done, preserve your work so that the voice of your soul inspires someone else to listen to the voice of their own soul, even centuries later. - Geeta Arya, Chitra Santhe

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The cultural and creative economy comprises more than 3 percent of the global GDP. - Abhishek Mukherjee, NICE

Art is a reflection of our times, but it can also centre us, make us question certain values, and certainly inspire us. - Kishore Singh, DAG

The idea [of a fundraising exhibition] is to spread messages like peace of mind, non-violence, being cheerful, and helping others. - Mamta Bora, Kala Alankar

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Art and India

Indian art defies any easily-tailored silos to carve for itself a confident assertion of its own identity. - Ashish Anand, DAG

We have to look at markets beyond Mumbai and Delhi as the art buying market is expanding rapidly. - Sapna Kar, TheCurators.art

India is blessed to have a really rich variety of arts and crafts. - Shibani Jain, Baaya Design

The reason why Indian artforms are dying today is because the profession is not economically sustainable. - Kartikeya Goel, Karfa

Art in any form is best appreciated when it becomes the culture of a nation. - Anita Hasurkar, Chitra Santhe

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).