I gave a pretty simple answer before and I stand by it, but I’d like to expand slightly. Art is a form of expression, one that is less direct than language, it is perhaps a “higher” form of communication, one that is only accessible to humans after all…it seems to be part of what sets us apart from the animal kingdom…the ability not only to appreciate, but to create art. When an artist, regardless of the media used, creates a work of art, he or she is basically communicating something from his or her perspective, and is using a somewhat symbolic way of communicating meaning and intent. It is up to the beholder to interpret the meaning behind the work. In this way, a number of important things are happening.
1) The exchange of ideas. Everything that happens, everything that is done or created or discovered is based on that which was discovered, created or occurred before it. Without a more permanent method of conveyance for ideas than simple speech, ideas can be lost to the ages, and with them, one can lose….
2) insight. Often an idea is a discovery of the connections between things in the natural world. Though things may always have operated in a certain way, many advances can come from discovering these underlying relationships, and art is one way of conveying these types of perspectives. It is often the perspective of the artist, the keen observer or that which is around him or her, that become the scientific theory of tomorrow. The observance and appreciation of art allows people to broaden and expand their horizons, to see otherwise mundane things in a different way, and often it is the spark of seeing something routine from an innovative new angle (i.e. via looking through the eyes of the artist), that allows people to put two and two together and make groundbreaking discoveries.
3) Aesthetics are a matter of creating mass appeal and acceptance. For example, the internet is perhaps the most revolutionary piece of technology in the history of humanity, yet it existed for 30 years before the world wide web (an aesthetic improvement) was added as an overlay, which brought the internet to mainstream acceptance and eventually ubiquity. The same can be said for other art forms, including music, movies, and television…the words, “c’mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now” did not single-handedly change the world, however that sort of hippie aesthetic, very much an artistic expression of a particular point of view, began to permeate youth culture and did bring about change. Or look at the fact that we have an African American president less than half a century after African Americans weren’t even allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people. Look at the influence of television and movies…look at how something like All in the Family pointed out, in a very artistic manner, the foibles of racism, and how shows like the Cosby show brought African American families into a perspective that white people could relate to. Things were once not even depicted in artistic expression first gained tolerance, then acceptance, and finally ubiquity in our culture. These are lasting impacts of all forms of expression, artistic included.
Yes, art can provide a trivial distraction, something for people to sit in awe of, most people who perceive the work of others will never be successful at making their own, but they may draw inspiration in their own fields from what the art communicates to them. Anything that can convey a deep meaning can change lives, both on an individual and global basis. Consider that after the dark ages, we had the Renaissance (French for re-birth), wherein not only did a stunning lack of artistic expression come to an end, but so did a stunning lack of scientific discovery. The so called “dark ages” were one devoid of the type of intellectual stimulation that artistic expressing brings forth, and it was not until that inspiration began again in earnest that society and human culture moved forward. Scientific and artistic discovery are essentially one in the same. When you get right down to it, after all, every form of art can be broken down into science. Music is very mathematical, as is drawing. Chemistry creates colors, optics create illusion. Art and science are inextricably linked to each other in a one hand washes the other symbiotic relationship. A world without artistic expression would be a world devoid of the most human qualities that exist, qualities which make us seek out the answers and to make the big discoveries. You would not want to live in a world where art did not exist, trust me.
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