[Christien]

Just another opinion in an endless (and very useful, IMO) discussion: for me, one of the necessary qualities of art is that it makes you think, and challenges you to consider it. And often (though not always) that involves a re-thinking of something you previously believed, felt, etc. True, we don't need to think about many things that are considered art, but in my definition, that's a function of time. For example, we all know how to interpret classical sculpture, because it's become common knowledge, though at one point in time it made people think.

For me, this definition is useful, because it allows for a distinction between (to use an example given above) rap music and Stravinsky, where, in musical terms, the boundaries might be quite blurry.