Primary opinion about arts

So last two days I had encounters with ‘culture’. These definitions are tricky. If you probe deep, you can understand that they are trying to portray some dynamic thing into static form. There are so many examples, like culture, society, nation where we feel that there are certain fix, eternal elements in these definitions, but on second and deeper examination, we can find that they are dynamic and hence they need evolutionary definitions. Enough for barren semantics!
Arts are interesting. On inner end of artist, they are means of earning livelihood, passion, devotion or best possible form of expression. All these are not separable. But, from artist to artist, priorities to arts characteristics are different. On outer end of receptors, they are entertainment and expression to convey some patterns in fabric of life. The first role is essential. It acts like a glue and complete in itself. There can be mere entertainment, but there is no exchange of feelings without having elements of entertainment. Do not try to see conversations and philosophy as exceptions. They convey feelings and patterns of life, but we do not seek entertainment in them.
Arts get birth, they grow and die. This can be observed for any creation of humanity. But dying is painful. Folk arts are dying. And, they are dying because life is transforming. Basics of life are not like that of folk life. Our myths are changing, values undergoing transition, beliefs are shaken and reformed and more than all these, the pace with which interact with our environment is accelerating. So change is happening in forms of entertainment we seek and patterns of life we need to convey. The standard portrays of battle of good and bad are no longer appealing. Thinking mind has understood that world is gray. Feelings of love and ultra-human devotions and rivalry are no longer assumed, though they are used strategically. But modern human, who is product of loads of information, automation and inquisitiveness needs entertainment and patterns evolving with time. Folk arts are enjoyable as exotic products or vintage cars, but they cannot live by themselves in these times. Either they will die with their purity or they have to evolve in their basics.
There are arts who have kept alive their traditions. But, artist has undergone change. Bhaaratnatyam might have been same as it was 200 years back, but artist values are market driven. Indian classical still has ragas mentioned in Vedic literature, but singer now eyes the shows, not any moksha. And, why should we strive something prisoned in form which it was few years back? Changes brought by time might kill many art forms, make them extinct. But it is as natural as their evolution was. They are product of human beings. Human beings change, so as their creations.
I do not say that past has no useful things for us. It might be treasure. But our mind which has evolved throughout these years of human existence, certainly and surely contain wisdoms of ancients. The dip into these waters of past is refreshing. But trying to hold the flow and trying to revert it is foolishness.
Art is expression when it starts. It becomes business or profession much later. Expressions are not constants. They are very product of time, space and people. They have imprints of these forces on their existence. That’s why western music differs from Indian, salsa differs from tribal dance, paintings has continuum over time and space. Such difference and cycles of births and deaths are what keep beauty in all of these alive and rhythm of life ever flowing.