A life without Art?

When I was living in Spain, we used to visit a Lebanese restaurant in the Chamartin District. What I best remember, besides the wonderful mezes, are the brown match boxes - the folded ones- placed on every table.   Inside the flap, printed in blue letters, was a Lebanese saying...." si tienes dos Reales, compra una hogaza de pan para tu cuerpo y un ramo de flores para tu alma"   which roughly translates as "if you have two dollars, buy a loaf of bread for your body and a bouquet of flowers for your soul." This saying had stayed with me, even though, I cannot even remember the name of the restaurant or how it looked like.   It appears from time to time and it is always when I experience beauty around me, and the thought of not having it. Last night, I had the privilege of attending Itzhak Perlman's performance at the Kimmel Center. The beauty of the sounds filled the Hall. I felt how the music filed my mind, transported me, moved me....but then, when it ended I wondered what would happen if suddenly there was not music, there was no art around us. How poor our lives would become!  How gray the surroundings would be without music, poetry, paintings.....without human expressions of beauty.  The music last night filled me with joy.  As the Hungarian Dances were performed, images of gypsies, colorful dresses filled my thoughts.  My mind is already working on my next paintings. Art and beauty feed creativity.