While art certainly serves us, do we really need it, or do we simply desire it?

Of course we NEED IT. Art interprets the harsh realities of the world. Despite all the chaos and disharmony art focuses on the naivety of simple pleasures like light, color, form and texture. It allows the child in us to come out even for a moment. It provides us with an escape. It has nothing to do with DESIRE! Sure we all desire to own a Monet, but that’s not the point. The point is about visual relief, and that can be found all around you. Just stop and look at the rhythm of graffiti, the pattern/ color of street lights and the amazing architecture this city has! 

BOTH!  We need plates, blankets, and utility items to serve us. We also need weaving, painting, drawing, knitting, or stitchery to be taught so that we can create utility items.  Without art we have no design engineers, fashions to sell, beautiful architecture to walk into or useful items to use, let alone decorate our homes in a style that tells the world who we are and what brings us joy.  Without art you would not have Christmas cookies, birthday cake merely food to fill your body, but no OREO's to feed your soul or molded chocolate to say "I love you" without saying a word.  One gives us life, they other makes it worth living!  If you get the chance, go visit the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.  It showcases utility items as art for the world, offered through every day living.

I think without art, the world would be a far less inspiring place to be.  Art visually fuels the imagination and inspires the creativity that lies within us all, while art in music is the soundtrack of our lives.  Make no mistake.  Art is of great importance to us all. As for me, it sustains my existence as I make the vast bulk of my income from my art and have done so for many, many years.

That is an interesting question;one that is not easily answered from the inside looking out,so to speak.I think a good example of how art serves us is to look at the work of Picasso.His early drawings depicted atrocities in abstract form.Things that had recently taken place in his country during the Spanish-American war.So in a very real sense,art serves us as a form of healing,psychological cleansing.So to answer your question,I think we need art,whether we want it or not.Thank you for the question ;)

My art is my padded cell....Art shows me what I am either feeling, thinking or noticing in general.  When some of my art sold, I was actually shocked!  I just did it because it did me.  When it is intellectual art, that is very different, mine is not necessarily just therapy, as I have had training a bit, but heart is my heart turned inside out on paper, on canvas, in the garden, on the drums, in my stories and poetry and making salads and offerings for those I care for.

Do we need to feed the soul? Maslow defines our primary needs in terms of physical survival: food and shelter. But what about quality of life? Without that, the will to survive is greatly diminished. What an empty life without art, in all its forms, to uplift us, touch our hearts, or give us a straight dose of a reality greater than our own petty woes...even for just a few minutes of looking, listening, reading, experiencing. Feeding our souls via connection with artistic expressions fosters growth in the consciousness of the human race. Do we need to grow as a human race? Or do we just desire it? The answer to that will determine the future status of humanity.

Art provides a piece of the historical record of the world!  It provides a respite from the pace and stress of everyday life.  We need beauty to soothe us, quiet our busy minds.  When we buy art we love, any genre, we benefit and the creator of the art gets a return for the energy put into it.  Surrounding ourselves with things we love is a positive use of resources.

We absolutely need it! Without art you have no buildings, no clothes, and a host of other things that artist have created. Not only the physical items are needed. Art taps into your imagination, soul and heart. It can calm the mind and heal the soul. Both visual art and music are very important aspects in a persons life. Music helps you to learn, it is the only subject in a school that uses all aspects of your brain. Both visual art and music calm the mind, inspire us and heal us. 

We absolutely need art! It stimulates our brain in ways. Our morale is lifted and our moods can change due to art in all forms.

Yes to each of those things! Need is a desire for something that sustains your spirit. Art does al that and more.