Daisaku Ikeda: Art As Transformation

"When we create or appreciate art, we set free the spirit trapped within. That is why art arouses such joy. Art – whether skillfully executed or not – is the emotion, the pleasure of expressing life as it is. Those who see art are moved by its passion and strength, its intensity and beauty. That is why it is impossible to separate life from art. Political and economic developments may seem to dominate the news, but culture and education are the forces that actually shape an age, since they transform the human heart."

–Daisaku Ikeda