I do agree with most of what you wrote, except the above.
In my view, if I need to study the history and philosophy behind an object to understand it, it is not done well enough. The art should speak for itself. Even if it will create different interpretations of what its quality is.
Furthermore, we are talking about applied art here, not pure art. As such it is an object which first and foremost needs to serve its intended purpose. I prefer to talk of artisans instead of artists where objects of daily use are concerned. That doesn't exclude that some artisans can also be called artists as their level of mastery exceeds those of their peers.
But that what is an artist is whole other topic... (for me artist is reserved for excellence in any field of expertise, the above average, the 1%, but that is probably a controversial view point for many)