I don’t understand how I’ve always been an artist despite the fact that I cannot even draw.

Then I heard this saying, “One thing I learned, you don’t have to be a painter to have the soul of an artist or to appreciate art.”

I grew up surrounded by canvas, brushes, and paint. Both my mother and my sister are talented painters, and I can barely color printed mandalas. However, I’ve always appreciated art and artists. At school, I used to stare at artwork in my literature books, but as an adult, it became another story.

When I was taking Italian classes, I picked Caravaggio’s biography to read, then I watched a movie about his life, and I couldn’t stop studying artists and their works ever since. I read art books, traveled to Italy and Paris, attended art galleries, and at some point, attempted to paint.

Consequently, I started to notice that our existence is art—everything we do with love is a form of art. Artists have always been known for standing out, and for being free spirits and unconventional innovators.

Some of them added colour to my semi-dull existence and helped me turn my life into artwork. As my all-time favorite once said, “Art is to console those who are broken in life,” and boy was Van Gogh broken.

To celebrate National Art Day and International Artist Day on the 25th of October, I chose 13 quotes from my favorite artists:

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

“No one is good; no one is evil; everyone is both, in the same way and in different ways. It is so small a thing, the life of a man, and yet there is time to do great things, fragments of the common task.” ~ Paul Gaugin

“Love is friendship set to music.” ~ Jackson Pollock

“Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn.” ~ Gustav Klimt

“As long as I live, I will have control over my being.” ~ Artemisia Gentileschi

“When people are ready to, they change. They never do it before then, and sometimes they die before they get around to it. You can’t make them change if they don’t want to, just like when they do want to, you can’t stop them.” ~ Andy Warhol

“You deserve the best, the very best, because you are one of the few people in this lousy world who are honest to themselves, and that is the only thing that really counts.” ~ Frida Kahlo

“Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.” ~ Salvador Dalí

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” ~ Pablo Picasso

“Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see, but it is impossible. Humans hide their secrets too well.” ~ René Magritte

“All works, no matter what or by whom painted, are nothing but bagatelles and childish trifles…unless they are made and painted from life, and there can be nothing…better than to follow nature.” ~ Caravaggio

 “Life etches itself onto our faces as we grow older, showing our violence, excesses or kindnesses.” ~ Rembrandt Van Rijn

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