ABSTRACT
Art is generally assumed to result from the extraordinary technical abilities and personal qualities of its makers, unhampered by pragmatic considerations of utility. A great work of art thus came to be defined as the product of creative genius that transcends tradition and convention in the fulfillment of its inspiration. In the age of the industrial middle classes, training in the arts is largely a luxury of the affluent; far from being a source of income, it is a sign of wealth. It is important to understand that the ideology of talent and individuality as the passport to the reservation is congruent with the institutional structure of the official, elite art worlds. The achievement of satisfaction through the acquisition of inherently scarce resources will have the effect of weakening some of the ties that bind together and support the members of a society as it inevitably reduces the amount of resources available to others.
