A specific painting, a poem and a song can't bring even a little material satisfaction to the viewer. Although your poems describe many delicious foods; Although you drew a lot of eye-catching fruits in the picture, two potatoes can help you when you are hungry. And this poem and this painting, in any case, can't become something in your stomach. Therefore, there is a saying that "looking at plums to quench thirst", but that is only a conditioned reflex, and it does not really supplement the body with the nutrients it needs. It can be seen that from this perspective, art is indeed not utilitarian. No wonder an aesthetician borrows the nickname "mending the wall" from a literati painter to illustrate the utility of art, and this modest remark of China literati painter is very telling here.
Art is the product of spirit. If we have to see whether it is utilitarian from a metaphysical point of view, then the theory of "repairing the wall" is the best explanation. ......