What are some functions of art? What do we use it for?

Question:

What are some functions of art? What do we use it for?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

While art can certainly be internal, that is only a very modern aspect of it. Art has always been a social commentator, sometimes reflective, and sometimes inflammatory. Artists demand that we see the world as they do, understand the ills and miracles through their eyes. Art can also be an interpretive historical record. We look to art to give us a vision of the past.

I'm pretty old-fashioned when it comes to art. I have to see a demonstration of mastery, some acknowledgment of relevant place in the stream of artists through out time. Those artists who claim to live in a bubble, or have no influences, or claim that their work is all about them--I usually find that work very uninteresting... more importantly, I don't connect.