We explain what art is, the history of its origin and the types that exist. Also, what are its general characteristics and importance.
One of the most important features of art is its ability to last over time.
What is the art?
Art or arts are called a set of human activities of a creative, communicative and subjective naturewhich pursue an aesthetic purpose, that is, they try to move, produce beauty, awaken feelings or reflections, all through the manipulation of materials of a diverse nature.
The will to make and appreciate art is common to all human societies at all times. It is one of the characteristics that distinguish us from animals.since art, strictly speaking, has no obvious utility and does not pursue any practical or utilitarian purpose. In other words, art is something that exists for the sake of existing.
One of the most important features of art is its ability to last over time, allowing later generations (or even later cultures) to learn something of the history, beliefs, language and/or sensibilities of the society and time in which it was created. In this way, art is also a historical element.
Those who dedicate themselves to the creation of art are known as artists. Also There are those who specialize in the interpretation, classification and study of art.called art critics.
See also: Contemporary art
Concept of art
The concept of art comes from what was called “Fine Arts” in the 18th century.
There is no single, definitive concept of art, since the question of what art is is part of the explorations that art itself poses. In any case, art is an important part of human culture. It is a concept that changes over timeallowing the inclusion of new forms, contents and techniques to what is known at the time.
Nowadays, the concept of art comes from a generalization of what was called in the 18th century the “Fine Arts”, to distinguish them from crafts and popular demonstrations. This concept, now out of use, covered literature, sculpture, painting, music, dance and architecture. In the 20th century, cinema, photography and comics were incorporated.
It may help you: Fine Arts
Origin of art
The first artistic manifestations of human beings date back to prehistorywhen the first tribes of the Homo sapiens (and perhaps the Homo neanderthaliensis) decorated the interior of the caves in which they lived with mixtures of pigments and animal fat.
Those first forms of rock art were drawings of totemic animals, hunting scenes or prints of their own hands, who knows if for narrative, shamanic or ritual purposes. Many of these paintings are preserved to this day.
However, the concept of art itself It did not always exist, but it emerged in classical antiquity, especially in great cultures, such as China or Greco-Roman. The latter was also the first to produce texts of a theoretical or critical nature regarding art, such as Poetics of Aristotle, for example, founder of literary criticism.
Also Plutarch’s studies come from Greco-Roman culturewho distinguished for the first time between “useful arts” (such as current sciences) and “pleasurable arts” (such as current arts).
History of art
In the 19th century, art began to be taken as the pinnacle of human expression.
In antiquity, especially Greco-Roman, the arts were associated with divine influence. The ancient Greeks had specific muses for each form of art, to whom they attributed the inspiration necessary for their exercise.
During the Middle Ages, in the West, the arts They began their separation from what was called artificiumthat is, “mechanical” or “vulgar” arts, distinguishing between what was later called crafts (ceramics, goldsmithing, etc.) and what were called “liberal” arts, which were supposedly the arts of the spirit. During this period the arts were at the service of Christianity.
This concept was accentuated after the 16th century., after the artistic and philosophical outbreak of the European Renaissance. Since then, it began to be considered that the artistic profession (especially painting, architecture and sculpture) required something more than simply craft and skill: it required a certain artistic genius. These were then called “design” arts.
So In the 18th century the concept of “Fine Arts” arose.The great diversification and liberalization of the arts in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in the consideration of art as the pinnacle of humanity’s expressive genius, a more or less refined way of recording our time in the world.
Types of art
The performing arts have an audience that watches the show.
There are many ways to classify art, such as periods, cultures of origin or, the main one, according to the nature of its representation. Thus, we can talk about:
- Decorative arts. Combination of art and crafts, aimed at producing beautiful as well as functional objects, thus combining the industrial and artisanal worlds. They are also known as applied arts or industrial arts.
- Plastic arts. Those that use materials that the artist can modify, alter or combine to produce a work. This term is out of use in favor of the broader “visual arts.” Traditionally, “plastic” means painting, drawing, sculpture, engraving and other forms of ceramics and metalwork.
- Performing arts. Those that need to be represented in a formal setting (a theatre, for example) or informally (a square), and that have an audience that watches the show. Traditionally, it refers to dance, theatre, music and cinema.
- literary arts. Literature is the art form that uses language and writing to produce aesthetic works, whether rhythmic and descriptive (poetry), narrative (novel, story) or theatrical texts (dramaturgy).
artistic disciplines
Literature is artistic expression through the use of words.
Traditionally, nine artistic disciplines are recognized, also called “Fine Arts”, which are:
- Paint. Visual artistic expression, which uses colors and shapes to produce still works on a two-dimensional canvas.
- Sculpture. The construction of three-dimensional objects endowed with shape, color and volume, and even in some cases penetrability or interactivity, to provide the viewer with an aesthetic experience.
- Literature. Artistic expression through the use of words and their written resources, to produce legible and interpretable textual bodies.
- Music. Through the execution of instruments of various types (string, wind, percussion, etc.), music offers the viewer an experience of harmony, melody and rhythm, in which the human voice may or may not intervene.
- Architecture. It involves the construction of spaces and buildings that can be inhabited and that also provide their inhabitants with a sense of beauty or that transmit a certain aesthetic message.
- Dance. Those artistic expressions that use the human body on stage, accompanied by music or other rhythmic forms to express aesthetic content.
- Cinema. An art form that involves the sequential montage of images and sounds that can then be projected and reproduced on a stage, to give the audience a sense of movement and an audiovisual aesthetic experience.
- Photography. A precursor to cinema, it consists of capturing light on photosensitive surfaces or devices, capturing the image of the surrounding reality and then reproducing it in a still manner.
- Sequential art. The so-called comic strip, comic or vignettes, is a form of narration that combines text and image with elements of graphic design, to produce an aesthetic experience.
There are other forms of art that are not yet formally recognized, such as gastronomy, street art or fashion, so there is a lot of debate as to what the tenth art may be.
art function
Art, said Oscar Wilde, is profoundly useless. That is to say, It does not fulfill explicit functions nor is it applicable to anythingBut at the same time it can fulfil involuntary functions: document of an era, personal testimony, decoration or beautification of a space or a city, or vehicle for transmitting cultural, ethical or spiritual values.
Artworks
Works of art take on more and more interpretations as the years go by.
art is an abstract, intangible concept. But the works in which he expresses himself are not, regardless of the genre and discipline. Some works of art are more concrete, such as a painting, a sculpture or a building, while others are intangible and require written or audiovisual support, such as a symphony, a novel or a theatrical or dance performance.
In any case, works of art endure over time and acquire more and more possible interpretations As generations learn about them, they version and spread them.
Importance of art
Art is one of the most important and lasting manifestations of humanity. Thanks to art we can reflect on our own conditionour sensitivities, or we can communicate our anxieties, give shape to our fears, in short, carry out a whole spiritual work that is part of who we are as a species.
Artistic restoration
Restorers preserve and allow for the display of ancient works.
The works of art, Over time, they lose some of their perfectionas the materials age. This is why there is a need for restorers: professionals who, by imitating the techniques with which the work was originally made, aim to restore or replicate it.
This way it is guaranteed that the work can continue to be exhibited and is preserved for later generations. It is usual for each museum to have its own team of restorers.
Examples of art
Examples of art abound in everyday life. The music played by the orchestra during a performance, the paintings and sculptures exhibited in a museum, the poems that abound in books or the beautiful architectural spaces that we can visit, are all examples of the artistic capacity of human beings.