Art is beautiful to look at, observe, analyze, and connect with in many levels, from mentally, physically and emotionally. This is true and the sole reason of modern and contemporary art, they want to express be opinionated, address controversial situations in society and let the rest to be interpreted by the viewer, they also pose for great pics.
But that is how art works in actuality, and by actuality I mean every piece of art that was created after Anno Domini. Now the pieces BC such as the stone slabs and spears of the pre-historic period, the ostracon in ancient Mesopotamia, even the scrolls and hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt had different uses. All these mentioned art pieces had a purpose, not only did they portray the progress and technological and intellectual advances of the epoch but they also had a function beyond transmitting a message.
The first example, dates back thousands of years ago, specifically in the Stone Age, where something that is considered art to us was used as a weapon and a means for survival, the hand axe and the spear. This is when the most early of the hominids carved out pointy ends on rock in order to live as what we define them now, hunters and gatherers, what is now considered an art piece served as more than what we see today, today we see a hand axe that represents and portrays the way in which they lived, it exposes characteristics of the society they lived in and their life styles, but to them it was a new tool, a technological advance that would give them higher and easier chances too survive in the prehistoric times.
Another example that lies within the two categories of function, art and functionality, are the scrolls of Ancient Egypt. AN example of one of these scrolls is the papyrus scroll of the Book of the dead, displaying the last judgment of Hunefer. It lies within both functions and contains this duality due to the fact that, the first purpose of the scroll was to guide the Ka, which is the soul of the king, through the underworld and trials until it reached the afterlife, so it had a purpose in Egyptian society. The piece also lies on the art display side of function, since it was crafted by scribes and decorated lavishly in order to show the wealth, power, and greatness of the king being depicted, so it also worked as the art pieces in actuality, it worked as propaganda and to communicate and transmit political ideals and agendas, as well as spreading the religion, the belief of the afterlife, and express their polytheism.
Overall, art always has a function, but it is impressive how art has evolved and how throughout the times it has persisted on being involved in political, social, and religious aspects, from using it to survive, to displaying ownership such as the ostracon, and even to guide a soul through the afterlife. Art, most certainly goes beyond what meets the eye.