Art is not what the general notion believes, and as object that is now considered as art may not be considered as art when it was first conceived. Actually both the terms ‘art’ and ‘artist’ are two modern terms. There is no satisfying definition of art, but art is described in Britannica Online as something is done with the use of skill and imagination in the creation of the aesthetic objective and environments or experiments that can be shared with others. Historically speaking the idea of art emerged with the general concept of artist in the 15th century Italy. In the time of the Renaissance art emerged as a collective term that encompassed painting, sculpture and architecture. The grouping was famously made by the renowned Italian artist Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. Along with these, poetry and music also became integral in the 18th century. These five forms are the main nucleus of arts still today.
Who is an Artist?
As per definition, an artist is a person who is engaged in one or more than one of the different activities that are related to the creation of art or practicing art. In general usage, the term is applied to the performers who are involved in visual forms of art. In the middle ages the artist was in use but it was mainly used for craftsman. But in recent times the word is being used as a descriptive term who is engaged in an activity that is included in arts. So we can term an artist as someone who is able to express himself through a medium. The word can also be used in a qualitative sense. In short, an artist is a person who is creative or innovative or adept in different artistic practices.
Two or Three Dimensional Art:
Two or three dimensional art is a new type of art form that has been evolved recently. The form is required to utilize different design principles only to compose visually successful art works. Comparing and contrasting, the form can be termed as the most expressive art form in recent times, and it is a huge bonus to the artists working in the graphical media. Different elements like line, mass, light etc are very important aspects of the art form. In the area of art criticism, the form can identify with some very important artistic works if past and with the help of it, these works are viewed in new light. Finally one can term two or three dimensional art as an effort to reach a personal understanding of the visual arts to the consumers and creators alike.
Representational and Nonrepresentational Art:
An art work that can be easily recognizable by most of the people is known as representational art. Leon Dolice’s etching named ‘Third Avenue’ can be an example of representational art. In the etching one can see a street, an automobile and a number of buildings probably very much similar to the buildings of New York. The beginning of representational art can be traced in the Late Paleolithic figures and cave paintings many millennia ago. Through out the history of art most of the art is called representational. Even if an art is considered as symbolic still it goes to represent something. On the other hand, non-representational art is a relative new invention and it mostly evolved in the early 20th century. Generally in non-representational art there are no identifiable objects, but still it can be said as a thing of beauty. Most of the non-representational art stands alone, but it is really hard for general people to understand and appreciate non-representational art. The works can be experienced and felt on a singular level only.
Fine and Applied Arts:
Fine arts can be defined as the intellectual stimulation of the viewer or dealing with academic sensibilities. Applied arts are the process of applying design and aesthetics to objects of function and any other things that are used in everyday. Apart from the world of arts the term fine arts can be used when some one has perfected an activity and showed high level of skills.
Public and Private Art:
Private art can be found in museums and art galleries and also in private collections. Generally the art that is funded by private money is known as private art, while public art can be find in any type of public domain, and every one and anyone can experience public art. Public are is generally funded by tax dollars.