Art

Art-portrait-collage 2

Teke bottle

Oval basin or dish with subject from Amadis of Gaul MET DP320592

Loewenmensch1

Lascaux painting

Art is a diverse range of human activities involving the creation of visual, auditory, or performance artifacts (artworks), which express the creator's imagination, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. The three classical branches of art are painting, sculpture, and architecture. Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature and other media such as interactive media, are included in a broader definition of the arts. Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences. In modern usage after the 17th century, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, the fine arts are separated and distinguished from acquired skills in general, such as the decorative or applied arts.

History

The history of art is often told as a chronology of masterpieces created during each civilization. It can thus be framed as a story of high culture, epitomized by the Wonders of the World. On the other hand, vernacular art expressions can also be integrated into art historical narratives, referred to as folk arts or crafts. The more closely that an art historian engages with these latter forms of low culture, the more likely it is that they will identify their work as belonging to the field of art history.

Art history is often divided into periods such as the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. Each period is characterized by distinct styles, techniques, and artistic expressions.

Forms

Art can manifest in various forms, including:

• Painting - The practice of applying paint, pigment, color, or other medium to a solid surface (support base).
• Sculpture - The art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, especially by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.
• Architecture - The art and science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures.
• Photography - The art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation.
• Film - A series of still images that when shown on a screen create the illusion of moving images due to the phi phenomenon.
• Music - The art of arranging sounds in time to produce a composition through the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
• Dance - The art of movement of the body, usually rhythmically and to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures.
• Literature - The art of written works, considered to have artistic or intellectual value.

Purpose

The purposes of art are varied and include the expression of ideas, exploration of the nature of perception, for pleasure, or to generate strong emotions. Art can tell stories or simply express an aesthetic truth or feeling. Panofsky, a well-known art historian, once stated that the fundamental purpose of art is a medium of communication that conveys the author's unique perception of reality.

Criticism

Art criticism involves analyzing and evaluating the quality and character of art. Critics often assess art on the basis of their own aesthetic principles or through the lens of social, cultural, and political expectations. The evaluation of art has become more democratic with the advent of the internet, social media, and the proliferation of museums and galleries.

See Also

• Art history
• Art therapy
• Fine art
• Contemporary art
• Art education