Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've been reading some of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays for a video course on Amerian literature. I've found it pretty tough going, not so much because of the language, but because his ideas are often so abstract. However I will quote some sections that strike me in particular. This is from Nature:

All men are in some degree impressed by the face of the world; some men even to delight. This love of beauty is Taste. Others have the same love in such excess, that, not content with admiring, they seek to embody it in new forms. The creation of beauty is Art.

I've been looking for a good definition of 'art', and I find the simplicity of this definition intriguing - "the creation of beauty is art". It does leave out the communicative aspect of art. Certainly from the earliest examples of art, it has contained religious, political, or moral messages. And post-Impressionist art introduced the idea of art echoing the emotions of the artist. For example, would one necessarily call Munch's expressionist work "The Scream" a "beautiful" painting? But it's significance in art is clear.

Also what is the line between craft and art? A finely crafted vase or cup may be beautiful, but does it's usefulness prevent it from being art? It seems innovation or creativity must factor into the definition somehow. Nevertheless I do like this definition a lot. :)