Artworks are an excellent way to educate people about various subjects, whether it be politics, science, religion, and more. Not only do artworks create awareness, they also present the information in an easy to understand manner. Hence, art is a great way to create a more balanced educational system, as everyone can appreciate it. Furthermore, it serves as a medium to promote cultural appreciation in a technology-obsessed generation.
Various definitions are available, and each of them provides different answers to the major questions of aesthetics. For example, one can say that paintings are works of art if they are beautiful or have a meaningful message. In addition, artworks can be classified based on their aesthetic value, and they may reflect the creator’s intention. These definitions differ greatly, and each one has its own pros and cons. Here are the main points from each definition.
Although these definitions may be useful in explaining different types of artworks, they are not based on a fixed, unchanging concept of art. Rather, they encompass many overlapping concepts. Nevertheless, they do leave room for the possibility that there is a unity under the apparent plurality. Some theorists believe that the artistic process of women is quite different from that of men, which suggests that a single concept of art should be distinguished from another one.
Paintings are considered fine arts, while sculptures and installations are considered visual art. Paintings are two-dimensional works created with paint or ink on canvas. Both types of artworks may be abstract or realistic. Photography, on the other hand, is another form of visual art. Photographs, for instance, use a keen eye to capture a moment. Finally, sculptures are three-dimensional visual images created with various materials, including clay, wood, and metal. Many famous classical sculptors use marble and bronze for their creations.
Although these definitions are based on socio-cultural and institutional aspects of art, they do not provide a comprehensive way to differentiate various types of artworks. Indeed, the artworld definition of an artwork is more or less the same as that of the commerceworld. If a person perceives herself as a member of the artworld, she is part of it. That’s a limiting definition of art. So, how can one distinguish between a work of art from an artifact that has no history in the art world?
Various theories claim that an artwork possesses certain essential properties that make it valuable. These properties include representational value, expressiveness, creativity, and a high degree of skill. In contrast, an earlier cluster theorist asserts that aesthetic quality is the ultimate goal of art. The other theories, however, stress the motley heterogeneity of an artwork’s properties, while also denying the existence of any special qualities, such as beauty.