World Art Day, an international event celebrated on April 15 annually, aims to spread awareness about creative activities and also to celebrate fine arts worldwide. The day was chosen in honor of one of world’s most famous and admired artists, Leonardo da Vinci, who was born on this day in 1452.

Speaking about the day on its official website, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said, “World Art Day celebrations help reinforce the links between artistic creations and society, encourage greater awareness of the diversity of artistic expressions and highlight the contribution of artists to sustainable development. It is also an occasion to shine a light on arts education in schools, as culture can pave the way for inclusive and equitable education,”

Here are some inspiring quotes, taken from Your Story, to celebrate the day:

  • "Artists can be as powerful as politicians in advocating for and influencing policies by being sensory antennae of society." – Afra Khan
  • "Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist." – René Magritte
  • "An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success." –Henri Matisse
  • "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." – Thomas Merton
  • "Art helps us identify with one another and expands our notion of we - from the local to the global." – Olafur Eliasson
  • "An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision." – James Whistler
  • "Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious." – Oscar Wilde
  • "Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons." – Al Hirschfeld
  • "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." – Banksy
  • "Art is a line around your thoughts." – Gustav Klimt
  • "Art is a step in the known toward the unknown." – Kahlil Gibran
  • "An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world." – George Santayana
  • "Above all, an artist must never be too easily satisfied with what he has done." – Henri Matisse
The Louvre holds the 'Mona Lisa', the most famous of the Tuscan's paintings
The Louvre holds the 'Mona Lisa', the most famous of the Tuscan's paintings AFP / LUCAS BARIOULET
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