I would disagree, but I suppose it depends on your definition of "useless." I THINK you're thinking in terms of functional utility (i.e. a cup holds water, a hammer whacks thumbs, etc...) But at the same time, you classified photography as a craft because its "utility" is documentation.

I believe art is just as much "documentation" as a photograph, if not more so. Art reflects just about everything from history periods where they couldn't "draw" 3-D shapes to the thoughts in twisted minds of surrealists like Salvador Dali.

Art is extremely useful in many ways, from allowing people to understand different cultures better to allowing a laid-off worker to vent his frustrations with a paintbrush rather than an assault weapon.

If art was useless, people wouldn't make it or buy it.

- Jonathan