What is art and what should art be?

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Picasso

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr Seuss

I think it was Voltaire who said “gentlemen (and ladies) let us define our terms” and so it is with art. What should it be, what should it say, what makes art, art?

In answering that question for myself I thought it best to consult the best, here is a selection of what I found.

“I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.” – Vincent van Gogh

“To be an artist is to believe in life.” – Henry Moore

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.” – Oscar Wilde

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” – Michelangelo

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.“ – Leonardo da Vinci