Art is a broad spectrum of human activities which involve artistic creativity to express intellectual, physical, emotional, or visual beauty, technical skill, or emotional strength. While art is acknowledged as a significant and contributing factor to the growth of civilizations, many people question its “traditional” definition as something confined to visual art alone. While the arts are often categorized as literature, music, dance, motion graphics, photographic art, sculptural art, and the like, the word “art” encompasses a much wider range of activities. There are many different ways that an art can be defined, but perhaps the most important one is through its ability to communicate, debate, and inspire.
Traditional definitions of art include visual and performing art, which usually refers to art that consists of a collection of works made by artists. Visual art can include motion pictures, photographic art, or figurative art. Performing art refers to art that is performed. For example, plays, operas, concerts, and chamber music are types of performing arts. And in the field of literature, literary works (novels, poems, and short stories) and artistic works such as paintings and sculptures are types of literary art.
In modern art, the term “art” refers to a form of visual communication developed through the medium of the canvas or table. In this case, art has become very broad. Modern art includes art that falls into different categories such as computer art, computer graphic art, visual non-fiction art, furniture and decorative art, video art, installations and sculpture, dance, multimedia, and theatre. These different ways of looking at art have developed in response to changing social conditions and the need for new ways of presenting art. The evolution of modern art can be seen throughout history.
One of the most obvious forms of art came from the Pre-Raphaelites, a Jewish group of artists who lived during the era of King Solomon and were very skilled painters. They produced very colorful and unique paintings that included both humans and animals. The most famous member of this group was Manuch, a man who married a princess and became the most beloved husband in the world. His artwork was focused more on human subjects than animals and he was also a great painter of the desert. Manuch’s work, which can still be found today in Israel, Egypt, and the United States, is considered a major influence on the style of the modern artist Rubens. Other members of the Pre-Raphaelite group included Isaac Basque, Joel David Eyestone, Chas Popper, and Israel Stern.
The Impressionists were French artists who developed the concept of painting with light to create emphasis. They used contrasting colors and shapes to create visual illusions, much like Picasso. The Impressionist movement influenced cubists like Picasso, de Kooning, and Goya. Cubists such as Goya and de Kooning focused more on texture and formed working pieces, while Picasso concentrated on pure forms. Later, the conceptual art movement arose in the works of Paul Gauguin and Edgar Degas.
Video art, sometimes called web art, has been around for quite some time. This artistic style places an emphasis on motion and the use of images and stills to communicate artistic ideas and provide a medium for artists to display their work. Video art evolved from installations that utilized technology to make art more accessible to the public. The term “video art” itself originated from the video conferencing that took place between art enthusiasts. Today, video art exhibits are held at art galleries, public events, music festivals, film festivals, and anywhere else people will watch art.