I wasn't aware of this. No wonder art is dying in America.
I agree with this. And that kind of expression is most usually beyond ego. Not to say that the artist was not egotistical, just that they're expression superceded them as an individual. This purity of expression is rare.
I don't agree with this as a whole, but I know what you're getting at. I think art is more apt to make you think if it makes you feel something on first glance, though. Rembrandt's work is realist and classical, but when you see it, it makes you gasp, and then you think - about beauty and humanity and PERCEPTION. Perception is an important facet of being human that is reflected in art that doesn't get talked about much. A lot can be said for an artist who is very skilled at portraying "reality." I am not big on photorealistic art either, but in an expressive way like Van Gogh or Manet or Renoir it can be very powerful - it goes back to that lack of ego thing again. Pure perception. I don't feel art has to be political, it can also be humanist. At least, you know, my favorite artists concentrate more on reflecting universal human conditions. This could all be my own bias talking, I suppose......
I simply mean art created in America. Much like jazz, I think art created in America should in a way, belong to us all as an expression of who we are.