Useful art.

I was watching a documentary with my wife Sherrill the other day and the topic was of several different artists and their work. Some art we thought was cool and some “ahh, not so much”. And the idea came to mind about arts usefulness. The “usefulness of art” is what came to mind put that lead me to something deeper. Really, most art has little “use”. You typically could survive without it. It’s not required to put art in a home to make the space useful. As long as it is dry it’s doing its job. No, art is different. What really is it that makes it art and furthermore what makes it “good art”.
Here are some of my thoughts: what is the motivation of the artist is what makes it art. It makes no different weather one or more people find it useful, for instance, the phenomenon of a particular artist having to die to become famous. People could care less about a certain painter and then one day (usually after death) the painter genius is discovered and his work is swallowed up by the art world and the only way to view most of the work is in books and museums. Fame, on the other hand, seams to destroy good art. It causes the artist to lose focus perhaps, and the driving passion to create gets replaced with the need to just get noticed. Art needs to be experienced to be art. There needs to be struggle to be great art. And the number one requirement seems to be a deep, true, passionate love for the art. Not trying to get radical by splashing paint on a wall to get noticed but a lifetime of struggle to perfect it. There seems to be a required journey. A journey to change with the art as one gets closer to the objective. And closer I mean you fall in love with it. If your art is the best hamburger on the earth you will spend your life in pursuit of it. Some may notice some may not, but that does not stop you. You’re after a love. That is why I think we can call some “art” bad. There was no love behind it. No struggle of pursuit. There was no love. It is useless.........