I have always conceived of artistic beauties as divinities meant to make man better, to civilize the world. Likewise, never has my mind entertained the thought of art for art's sake. In the gloom of life, art is our only light, and perhaps the sole hope of universal accomplishment capable of changing the ugly face of the world in the course of centuries. Of all the sentimental and spiritual values at the foundation of superior life, art is the one that encompasses more love, more purity and sincerity. It is the only one that never deceives us.Les Arts et l'Humanité d'aujourdhui
by Panait Istrati (1884-1935)
