Fine Arts

What is it about "fine arts" that people are so obsessed with? What makes them so "fine." Is it their power to extract emotion from us? What exactly are the fine arts? Can painting, sculpture, and music all be grouped together? Why do I spend hours reading A Short History of Art instead of watching Saving Private Ryan (which has squeezed more emotion out of me that any painting)? What is "good" art? Is it the art that makes us most emotional, or is it the art that gives us "good" emotions? (Are there any bad emotions, or just bad actions caused by good emotions). So if emotion is the purpose of art, then artists will paint, sculpt, compose, film, ect. things that convey important emotions. In the 15th and 16th centuries biblical topics dominated art. But what about today? Modern art ranges from a goldfish swimming in a brass toilet to a stack of TV's without screens. What emotions do modern artists want us to feel? Confusion comes to mind.