An artwork is a visual representation of something that appeals to the senses and generates emotions, often ones of beauty or enjoyment. Artworks can take a variety of forms, such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, and even architectural and landscape designs. They can be found in public and private collections and on the walls of museums and galleries. An important part of understanding the meaning and purpose of an artwork is to determine how it was created and what it may be attempting to say to the viewer.
Traditionally, art has been defined as an object created or designed by a trained artist (whether painter, sculptor, photographer, or designer), which should reflect the artist’s technical abilities. This view has been challenged by a number of artistic movements, including the readymades and conceptual art. The definition of what is considered to be an artwork has also broadened in recent times to include performance art, musical concerts and other types of ephemeral creations, as well as to incorporate some architectural renderings and models that are not intended to be constructed.
The prevailing definition of an artwork reflects a philosophy on aesthetics. It is based on Monroe Beardsley’s understanding of an artwork as “an arrangement of conditions that is capable of affording experiences of marked aesthetic character.” The term is also influenced by the Deweyan concept of aesthetic experience. Dewey defined it as an intense, unified, and controlled experience of the way things appear to us.
Aesthetic properties that are deemed to be essential for an artwork to possess are the ability to communicate to the viewer a sense of beauty or joy, as well as the capacity to evoke feelings of awe or wonder. Other important characteristics are the ability to make the viewer feel involved or moved, and the fact that an artwork satisfies or transcends its functional purpose as an object.
When an art historian describes a piece of art, they will usually try to establish the defining qualities that make it an artwork by studying how it was created and what its history is. They may discuss the materials used and the techniques the artist employed to create it. They will also look at the subject matter of the piece and examine its style.
Artwork descriptions can be written for a variety of purposes, including teaching, research, and publication. Writing about an artwork can be a very personal process, requiring the writer to think deeply and be creative. Writers should consider what they know about the artwork and how their knowledge will influence their writing. Then, they should decide what they want to say about it and how best to say it. They should use the skills they learned in their English lessons, as well as their own creativity and enthusiasm. The result should be a well-written, engaging art essay that will inspire the reader to study the work further.