A state of the soul

I believe the English translation of this simple graffito spotted on a wall in the lower east side is, "Art is above all a state of the soul."

It was a moving day that began with a visit to the Tenement Museum to hear about the history of Jewish garment workers on New York's lower east side. In the afternoon it was the Rubin Museum of Buddhist art and some amazing photographs of Muslim shrines built by the Uyghur people in China. At the end of this day I am deeply saddened to hear of the events in Boston and to think of the suffering of those in all places where bombs explode and violence wrecks the beauty of the day.