Art has been with us since time immemorial. The earliest archaeological evidence of art was found in the Egyptian pyramids and other monuments of ancient Egyptian civilization. Art has been a major source of inspiration for artists across the history of mankind. Art has been a diversified assortment of human activities including aesthetic beauty, technical skill, personal expression, spiritual wisdom, or creative ingenuity to express unique imaginative power, beauty, emotion, or religious ideas.
In the modern era, art has been defined by a number of different contributors from Clausewitz to Ginsberg. Still others argue that art is “the process of seeing a thing so as to affect its psychological structure.” Still others define art as “the process by which things are made or altered.” Still yet, the definitive definition of art remains that of the artist. The artist is the only person who can define what art is.
Art historians usually divide art into three types: applied art, visual art, and decorative art. Applied art refers to sculpture and paintings, literature and the theater, technology and architectural engineering, and music. Visual art includes artworks such as paintings, sculptures, and gardens. Decorative art includes works of architecture, pottery, and furniture.
Of the three types, art that is performed orally and in the form of literature is called applied art. Art that is displayed in the form of sculpture or paintings and used to create a visual artifact is called visual art. For the purposes of this discussion, we will restrict our discussion to applied art. Art historians should consider all aspects of visual and performing art – how the work was created, who created it, what it was used for, and why it was created. We will not discuss performance art here, since it often involves a lengthy process and is therefore not easily categorized.
Painting and Sculpture: What is Paint? Painting is the use of pigments to create a new work of art. The pigments can be many different colors or a single color. A medium that can be used to paint on is called paint. Other things that can be used to paint are brushes, palette, and paints for the different forms of art.
The definition of art has changed over the years. In past centuries artists created art to portray their values and thoughts. Modern artists, on the other hand, use the means of technology and film to tell a story. Today, the meaning of art is determined by a combination of what the artist perceives, the culture that the work represents, and the audience that the piece is intended for. The different forms of art are more than just forms of expression; they are tools for communication.