Has art jumped the shark after WWI?

[Faith No More]

And when checking off the technical boxes which determines that a piece is labeled art bogs the piece down and detracts from the message? Technical superiority doesn't translate into art any more than solid construction translates into beautiful architecture. It may be necessary for art, but it certainly isn't sufficient.

Of course, because ultimately art comes from an emotional connection with the medium that allows you fluidly manipulate it into a creative expression.

But that just proves my point that standards can be set for what is and isn't art, because you can evaluate a piece of art by looking at how developed that emotional connection was and its influence upon the final product. You see, evaluating art isn't just about the final product. It's also about evaluating the process involved.

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The desert was the apotheosis of all deserts, huge, standing next to the sky for what looked like an eternity in all directions. It was white and blinding and waterless and without feature save for the faint, cloudy haze of the mountains which sketched themselves on the horizon and the devilgrass which brought sweet dreams, nightmares, death. An occasional tombstone sign pointed the way, for once the drifted track that cut its way through the thick crust of alkali had been a highway. Coaches and buckas had followed it. The world had moved on since then. The world had emptied.

I like King's writing style but I admit, he has improved drastically as he gets older. Anyone who can invent the monster in It or fashion the world in the Gunslinger series is very creative.

You've actually quoted one of few pieces of work that I felt that Stephen King demonstrated a true command of the English language. He's definitely got the talent there, I just don't think he's nurtured it. I think he focuses more on plot and character because that's what he wants to do with his writing. Unfortunately, that command of the English language died out as the Dark Tower progressed, and I refused to read beyond the fourth book.