I saw this as an essay topic in Barron's GRE. What is the purpose of art?
In our perception, the world exists distinctly from us, meaning I am here there is the world out there. No matter how close we are to someone, if we are deeply in love or even if the bond we share with the other person goes beyond love,as in the case of family ties, there is still the sense of identity which separates us from people, objects and everything that is not "I" in essence. Therein lies the chief role of art. The role of art is to dissolve all boundaries into nothingness, to make you realize that there is common thread that passes through each and every conscious observer and that the differences that you perceive in the world is only a result of stuff that is acquired and that is not a part of us in essence.
When I listen to African music, with its rhythmic beats and chimes there is a feeling of familiarity and connection. It can't be explained but it is there. And who are art critics? People who are paid for having opinions. The don't experience it, they just judge it. Art is beyond judgment,beyond superlatives, beyond duals. It's about the experience.