Art is the creation of something beautiful or meaningful. Art can be made in many different mediums such as painting, drawing and sculpture. It can also be found in the form of architecture, calligraphy, dance, music and writing. Art can convey ideas, emotions and memories to the viewer. It can also inspire creativity in the viewer. Art can be used to celebrate important events or to memorialize loved ones. Art can be used to teach a lesson or to inform the public.
Artists have been using their skill and imagination to produce works of beauty for centuries. While a lot of what we think of as art today is not what the ancients would have considered it, they were still trying to communicate important ideas and emotions to their audience through their work. Modern artists have been taking this concept and pushing it further than ever before. From abstract paintings to sculptures that are part of an installation, the boundaries of what we consider art have been continually expanding.
In the past, art was seen as a craft; something you could learn to do through practice and hard work. This became more and more important as we moved through the eras of Romanticism and individualism where art came to be defined by its uniqueness or how original it was. Eventually this led to the era of Modernism where the definition was reevaluated again. This time it was no longer based on the object itself but on what it represented or how the work was created. This led to movements such as the Happenings of the 60’s, Fluxus art where everyday objects like bottle racks or urinals were used as pieces and Conceptual art where even the idea behind the piece was considered enough to be art.
Another concern is that the cladistic approach to art may lead to an overly insular definition of what can be considered an art form. It has been argued that if you need to be a human to make art then it is not possible for nonhumans to create art in the same way. There is also the worry that this definition of art may be sexist in its focus on males.
For the average person, deciding what is art and what is not can often be a difficult task. This is especially true if you are not familiar with the techniques and styles of a particular era or movement. However, if you take the time to look closely at a piece of artwork it can help you see how the artist is communicating. Look at lines, shape, color and composition as well as the broader context of where and when it was created.
The goal of art is to grasp the world, not just the physical world that science attempts but the world of society and spiritual experience as well. It can serve as a window into our shared humanity. In addition, it can provide a means of externalizing human emotions or visualizing the human experience so that we can empathize with others. This is a common function of art throughout history whether it was the depiction of the death of someone who was close to us or the suffering of the masses in a tragic event.