The artistic culture is society's examination of itself. It's the way it reflects on its own values, the way it contemplates itself. We also associate culture with leisure.
Culture is criticism in the form of imitation.
It's amusement, but also contemplation. It's entertainment, but also it's insight. Some of the arts in the United States were slow to develop. For example, although there was painting in the 18th century, it looks like provincial English painting, with a few distinguished talents like John Singleton Copley. New American painting from the early 19th century is very primitive-looking.