Андрей Тарковский о цели искусства

The alotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as example. The aim of art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul, rendering it capable of turning to good.

Andrey Tarkovsky, "Sculpting in Time", chapter II "Art - a yearning for the ideal"