An artwork is any creative production that has aesthetic or emotional significance. It can be anything from a painting or sculpture to a video or sound installation. Traditionally, art has been defined as objects that are both visual and tangible but recent artistic movements such as conceptual art have expanded the concept of what can be considered an artwork to include ephemeral or even intangible forms of art such as performance, photography and dance.
In terms of a definition, the simplest explanation is that something is an artwork if it resembles in the right way certain paradigm artworks (paintings, sculptures or other works of art), which typically possess most, although not necessarily all, of the features that distinguish an artwork from other objects. This resemblance is often understood as a family resemblance view of the idea of art, and it is also closely linked with the idea of an artwork’s ‘authority’.
An important aspect of an artwork is the relationship that it has with its wider cultural context. This includes the historical context in which it was created, the audience for which it was intended and how the artwork has been interpreted by critics.
The work’s subject matter may also be significant. In particular, art can explore ideas, emotions and experiences that are not immediately accessible to the viewer (such as concepts in philosophy, psychology or mathematics). It can also communicate social issues and beliefs and be a tool for protest and activism.
Artworks can be symbolic or merely decorative, but they can also be ritualistic or serve a ceremonial purpose within a culture, like wedding rings or the sacrificial death mask of King Tut. In addition, anthropologists have found that certain artworks can appeal to an instinctive response in viewers, like the awe and admiration invoked by masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa or Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss.
Some artworks are famous because of the artist that created them; for example, the two paintings versions of Edvard Munch’s The Scream have attracted headlines due to daring thefts. Other paintings are known for their subject matter; for instance, Vermeer’s The Girl with a Pearl Earring or Picasso’s Guernica.
Other factors that help to determine an artwork’s status include its format and size. How is it presented – is it vertical, horizontal or square; does it form part of a diptych or triptych; does it have an unframed, rolled or mounted state? The format may be influenced by practical considerations, including the availability of materials or display constraints; design brief restrictions; screen sizes and common aspect ratios in film and photography; and so on.