1. for "art" to be art, it has to be recognized as art, which requires an audience who appreciates it and can identify it.
Honestly, much of what gets oohed and aahed over in recent months/years I am left scratching my head on.
Fine Anglage is more than just a bevel; it is mirror polished. It is even and evenly radiused (straight angle cut bevels are not considered fine anglage, at least not by me and not by most old timers) and consistent.
True fine anglage (as one example of fine finishing) is no more common today than it was 50 years ago.
Faux high finish - perlage, for example - was actually fairly common even in the old days, as it is today.
2. a line and a squiggle are art only at the right time and place and in the right context.
But certain styles are (nearly) universal - photorealism, for example.
So the issue as I see it, MKVC, is really a matter of the consumer and appreciating public, less a matter of the preponderance today of "fine finishing."
jmho without really thinking it through on a Sunday night (as I'm trying to meet 3 deadlines and wanting to rub my eyes and take a break...)
Cheers,
TM