What is art? Why does art have a societal function and what is that function?
Over 99% of the timespan of human history art has assumed the societal function of strengthening societal cohesion by giving visual signs of the worldview of the men of knowledge of the day for all to share.
For a set of reasons the 20th century lost track with that societal function which resulted in "whatever" being justified as being art.
Societal necessity shall impose soon a new paradigm of reality to humanity. The notion that we can live today by borrowing the resources of the future is simply wrong. We can't borrow today the earnings of future generations and whence the geological gift in energy and resources is peaking we'll know that the modern dream was no more than a chimera. Political and social upheaval is going to strengthen the nation state in a drastic way and the need for a shared worldview that integrates the new paradigm of reality is going to be felt strongly.
