What makes art, art?

The text of this essay is to be a minimum of 500 words.
Consider what you think of as visual art and then try to explain what makes it art. What do you respond to in a work of art? Is it the way it looks, or the way it makes you feel or the ideas it brings to mind? How important are the formal qualities?. How important is the content? Should one be more important than the = the other? These are somewhat subjective criteria and there are really no right and wrong answers, as long as you are discussing art work. Please think about the question seriously and be sure to reference actual works of art in your discussion to illustrate your ideas.The text of this essay is to be a minimum of 500 words.