“I am still perplexed about this thing called art and why it even exists and what sort of function it serves in our lives.”

-Andrea Zittel

I think this is an interesting question.

I think it is an art to ask a question without asking a question.

I wish to answer a question you haven’t asked.

I will probably do so later.

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I would consider it necessary to human imagination and creation and to the fabric of human emotion

Cheesy as it may sound, the world would be a Grey dull place without artistic expression.

Fortunato Posted:

I will bump this thread.

I suppose the first sincere foray into answering it would start with necessity; art being a thing that doesn’t feed you or me or aid directly in reproduction.

There are more life necessities than food and child bearing.

I think that art is personal. You can tell me that some painting or song is brilliant, but if it doesn’t spark an emotion it is simply chemicals on canvas or strings of notes. Often I can see the technical proficiency, but either a thing clicks or it doesn’t. When it clicks, you feel the art.

Art fills a need for beauty, rebellion, humor, horror, anger, happiness… It also has that “aha” factor. It allows a connection to the artist and to other fans. I think that is why people seem to form instant bonds over shared music, movies, whatever. “Here, you love this, too? You feel this as well? Then we are not alone.”

Art is just another way to communicate. Emotions, ideas… your could say it’s just another medium to send a message. Or a message through a medium.

Even taking into account that Art as a term itself is incredibly broad and subjective – There are just as many bad artists as there are clueless beholders.

Art is useless. That’s the point.

you two sound like you would be quite boring to meet irl.

I managed not to notice this was a month old… oh well.

And useless isn’t necessarily bad, just making the point that art doesn’t serve any particular function – if it was useful for something it’d be a tool, or technology or something like that. Art necessarily has no ‘useful’ purpose.

From an evolutionary perspective, it could be akin to the peamale reproductive organ’s tail – it serves no particular purpose, it is in all likelihood detrimental to survival (time spent on art is time not spent on gathering food), but it’s pretty good for attracting a mate. Being a musician or an artist can get you laid… not so much for the sciences.