Art
Art originally was the processes of man (compare word
artificial), and as such was synonymous with
science.
Nowadays it can be seen in essence the foremost expression of human
creativity. As difficult to define as it is to evaluate, given
that each individual
artist
chooses the rules and parameters that guide her or his work, it can
still be said that art is the process and the product of choosing a
medium,
a set of rules for the use of that medium, and a set of values that
determine what deserves to be expressed through that medium, in order
to convey either a belief, an idea, a sensation, or a feeling in the
most effective way possible for that medium.
Artists, deliberately or not, work under the
influence of other artists of the past and present, and much of the
development of individual artists deals with finding structured
principles for how to express certain ideas through various kinds of
symbolism. For example Vasily Kandinsky famously developed his use of
color
in
Painting
, through a system of stimulus response, where over time
he gained an understanding of the
emotions that can be evoked by color and combinations of color.
Also, the traditional use of
lilies
denote
death and red
roses to evoke love are recurring themes in Western culture.
Opinions differ as to what can and cannot be defined as art; for
example, can somebody make art if the creation was not intended to be
art? Is art always a form of individual expression? Will a work of art
only be art once it is finished? For a more in-depth discussion of
these questions, see the article on the
definition of art and read some
quotations about art (http://wikiquote.org/wiki/Art).
Maybe art is only defined by what interests the audience at the time?
Types of art
There are many types of art; the
history of art reaches back into prehistoric times. Today, art
most often refers to the
visual arts, specifically
painting,
printmaking and
sculpture,
photography,
digital art, and
poster art. Art also commonly refers to the
fine arts, which include
music,
literature,
poetry,
dance,
and the
theater. An outgrowth of the theater is
film and
animation. Since the 1970s,
media art has become increasingly important, with disciplines like
video art,
electronic art,
internet art,
installation art,
wireless art and
artistic computer game modification.
When something is done especially well, it can be considered art: a
feat of
engineering such as the
Golden Gate Bridge can be seen as a work of art.
Architecture is certainly a type of art: consider the
Eiffel Tower or the
Notre Dame
cathedral. Architecture is the synthesis of art and science. Even
computer programming can be art; many programmers see their
day-to-day work as an artform, with poetic elegance and beauty in
design. A whole new discipline of
software art is emerging, too.
Art doesn't have to be solely for aesthetic purposes;
arts and crafts deals with making useful things into art.
Commercial art ("visual communication") uses artistic methods to
convey information such as
advertising. Sometimes people make art out of random objects that
weren't intended to be art; such art is called
found art.
Oriental art and martial arts
Besides the wealth of
Oriental paintings, architecture, etc., Eastern cultures seem to
have a very wide definition of art. In many cases, art is part of a
much deeper concept of
spiritual development, perhaps including ideas such as
self-mastery,
working in harmony with with the laws of nature, etc.
In Japan, for example, many things have been practised and
developed into artforms, through spiritual and mental discipline,
incredible craftsmanship, and an extreme patience and willingness to
master the medium. Hence,
Martial Arts such as
Kendo,
Judo,
etc.
While the term 'martial art' may sound like a euphemism or wishful
thinking to some readers, traditions such as
Kendo
(a sword discipline) have been practised alongside
Ikebana
(flower arranging) and
Haiku
(poetry) for centuries, with many of the same techniques and even the
same ultimate goals involved in each.
Asian
civilisations have very ancient historical roots, and their artistic
development reflects those roots admirably.
Art
is in essence the foremost expression of human
creativity. As difficult to define as it is to evaluate, given
that each individual
artist chooses the rules and parameters that guide her work, it
can still be said that art is the process and the product of
choosing a
medium, a set of rules for the use of that medium, and a set of
values that determine what deserves to be expressed through that
medium, in order to convey either a belief, an idea, a sensation, or
a feeling in the most effective way possible for that medium.
Opinions differ as to what can and
cannot be defined as art; for example, can somebody make art if the
creation was not intended to be art? Is art always a form of
individual expression? Will a work of art only be art once it is
finished? For a more in-depth discussion of these questions, see the
article on the
definition of art and read some
quotations about art.
For the
Celtic mythological figure Art, see
Airt
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