Well, in all seriousness... At one time, a lot of art was simply commissioned by religion or rulers or rich folks. No one else could afford it. Part of this was

Well, in all seriousness... At one time, a lot of art was simply commissioned by religion or rulers or rich folks. No one else could afford it. Part of this was also to make those same people have their image known... with improvements, of course (old-time instagram filters!). The other art was things like political cartoons (which have a long history) and such - this was somewhat because a lot of folks couldn't read (church icons served a similar purpose). More folks can afford to make artwork, thanks to both photography and much better printing. So yeah, the reasons for making art have changed. I'm not sure it has ever been actually useful except to show off wealth or to improve surroundings. None of this matters, though. If you don't like art, don't buy it or make it. Maybe you enjoy some sorts of art (music and movies, for example) but not traditional artworks. Again, pass. Now, as far as people being quick to make assumptions: I find that people need a reason for folks to do art. People attribute all sorts of meanings to artwork that I simply made because I thought it looked neat. I'm not sure why I can't just make something I like to look at and leave it at that.