Fine art

Fine art is a special kind of art that people have made for hundreds of years. It is often called "high art" and is made mostly to look beautiful or to show creative ideas. This makes it different from other kinds of art that might be used for practical things, like making a teapot, or from art that is made just to be popular.

In the past, the main fine arts were painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry. Over time, more types of art like film, photography, and video have also become fine arts. These arts are special because they are made to be beautiful and to make people think, not just to serve a practical purpose.

People who enjoy fine art often need to have good taste, which means knowing how to appreciate the beauty and meaning in these artworks. Even though the idea of fine art started in Europe during the Renaissance, similar ideas about art can be found in many other cultures around the world.

Origins, history and development

Main article: Art history

Some writers say that the idea of "fine art" began in the West during the early modern period. Larry Shiner, in his book The Invention of Art: A Cultural History (2003), says this idea started in the 18th century. Before that, in the West, the word "art" meant something like "skill," as in "the art of war" or "the art of medicine." Similar ideas were expressed by Paul Oskar Kristeller, Pierre Bourdieu, and Terry Eagleton, though some think it began earlier, during the Italian Renaissance. Anthony Blunt noted that a similar idea, called arti di disegno, appeared in Italy in the mid-16th century.

We can also see similar ideas in the classical world. Famous artists from ancient times were mostly painters and sculptors from Greece. Some objects, like Ancient Greek pottery, were sometimes signed by their makers or workshop owners.

The idea of "fine art" started to fade around 1880. By about 1920, some people in art theory stopped using the term because they thought there should not be two different ways to judge art and useful objects. However, it took much longer for everyday people and the art market to change their views. Even today, the term is still used in art schools and college courses, especially in North America and in other European languages.

Cultural perspectives

In many places around the world, the way people think about art is different from how we often think about it in Europe and the US. For example, in traditional Chinese art, there were special kinds of paintings made by scholars, while other artists worked for kings and queens. Even though things like ceramics and jade carving were very important, the people who made them were often not well known.

Similar ideas appeared in Japanese and Korean art. In Islamic art, artists who wrote beautiful letters and painted small detailed pictures were highly respected, and they also helped design carpets and tiles.

In Latin American art, European influences were strong until the 1900s, when local traditions began to grow again. In Africa, Yoruba art often has important meanings related to leaders and spirits, and includes things like textiles that might seem like crafts to others.

Visual arts

Two-dimensional works

Painting and drawing

Main articles: Painting and Drawing

Painting as a fine art means putting paint on a flat surface, like a wall or paper, instead of on something like a sculpture or pottery. People have been painting for thousands of years, often on walls or rocks. Later, paintings were made on wood or canvas and became very important in places like Europe. In Asia, painting often used paper and special black ink.

Drawing is another important part of visual art. Painters often use drawing to plan their paintings. You can draw with many things, like pencils, pens, charcoal, or even special sticks called pastels.

Mosaics

Main article: Mosaic

Mosaics are pictures made from tiny pieces of stone or glass, called tesserae. These small pieces are put together to make a bigger image. People in ancient Greece and Rome made mosaics, and they are still used today to decorate buildings and spaces.

Printmaking

Main article: Printmaking

Printmaking is making pictures on paper that can be copied many times. This has been done for centuries in many places. Artists use different methods to create these prints, like cutting into wood or using special plates.

Calligraphy

Main article: Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a type of art where people write beautifully with special shapes and styles. It can be very decorative and is used in many cultures to make writing look artistic and special.

Photography

Main article: Fine-art photography

Fine art photography is when photographers create pictures mainly to express their own ideas and feelings, not just to tell a story or sell something. It can be about many different subjects and styles.

Three-dimensional works

Architecture

Main article: Architecture

Architecture is often thought of as a fine art, especially when it looks very beautiful. Buildings can be important symbols of a culture or time period. Famous buildings like the pyramids in Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome are known all over the world.

Pottery

Main articles: Pottery and Ceramic

Pottery is making things like pots and bowls from clay. While it is often used for everyday items, some pottery is made to be very beautiful and is considered fine art, especially when it is decorated or very well-made.

Sculpture

Main article: Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional art made by shaping materials like stone, metal, or wood. Sculptures can be very large or small and are often found in public places. Many famous sculptures have survived from ancient times.

Conceptual art

Main article: Conceptual art

Conceptual art is when the idea or thought behind the art is more important than how it looks. This type of art started in the 1960s and often uses new and unusual ways to show ideas.

Performing arts

Main article: Performing arts

Music

Main articles: Music and Art music

Music is an art form that uses sound organized in time. The main parts of music include pitch, rhythm, loudness, and the quality or "color" of the sound. Music can be played with many different instruments or sung, and there are pieces that use only instruments, only voices, or both.

The word music comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "art of the Muses."

Dance

Main article: Dance

Dance is an art form that uses movement of the body, often to music, as a way to express ideas, connect with others, or perform in special settings. Dance can also describe ways people or animals communicate without words, or even how things move, like leaves blowing in the wind. Sports like gymnastics and figure skating have movements that are like dance.

Theatre

Main article: Theatre

Modern Western theatre often uses realistic stories, including dramas and comedies. Another popular form is musical theatre. Older styles of theatre from Greece, Rome, England (like the plays of Shakespeare), and France (like the plays of Molière) are still performed today. Classic forms of theatre from East Asia, such as Noh and Kabuki, can also be seen in Western countries, though less often.

Film

Main articles: Film and Art film

Fine arts film refers to movies and the art of filmmaking. Movies are made by recording real life with cameras or by creating moving images using animation or special effects. Films are made within specific cultures, reflecting those cultures and influencing them in return. Film is seen as an important art form, a way to entertain people, and a strong tool for teaching or sharing ideas. The visuals in movies give them the ability to communicate universally. Some movies become popular around the world by using dubbing or subtitles to translate the dialogue.

Cinematography is the art of choosing how to light scenes and position the camera when making photographs for movies. It is closely related to still photography but has extra challenges when the camera or subjects are moving.

Independent filmmaking often happens outside of major movie studios like Hollywood. An independent film, or indie film, is made without money or support from a big studio. Many reasons, including creative freedom, business choices, and new technology, have helped independent filmmaking grow since the late 20th century.

Poetry

Main article: Poetry

Poetry is a special kind of writing that uses the beauty and rhythm of words. It can create feelings and ideas that go beyond the normal meaning of the words. Poetry often uses sounds, patterns, and the way words feel when spoken to make its point.

Other

Electronic media is perhaps the newest way to create fine art. It uses modern technology like computers for making and showing art. This includes video, digital photography, digital printmaking, and interactive pieces.

Textiles, such as quilt art and wearable creations, are also considered fine art. Western art (or Classical) music is a performing art often seen as fine art.

Origami has become more popular recently. Artists and scientists study how folding materials behave. Unlike painting or sculpture, origami transforms materials without adding or taking away anything. Today, origami is linked to technology and even spacecraft, and its ability to be shared online makes it a key art form of the 21st century.

Academic study

See also: List of art schools

Africa

Main article: Art of Africa

Asia

Main article: Art of Asia

• The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts is a Chinese university that offers degrees in Fine Arts and Design.
• Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata is a college for Fine Art in Kolkata, India.
• O.P. Jindal Global University in Sonipat, Haryana offers programs in Fine Arts.

Europe

Main articles: Art of Europe and List of art universities and colleges in Europe

South America

Main article: Art of South America

• Brazil: The Institute for the Arts in Brazilia has departments for theater, visual arts, industrial design, and music.

United States

Main article: Visual art of the United States

In the United States, studying fine art can lead to a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or a Master of Fine Arts degree. Some schools now also offer Doctor of Fine Arts degrees. Important art schools in the U.S. include:

• Yale University in New Haven, CT – offers MFA and BA.
• Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI – offers MFA and BFA.
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois – offers MFA in Studio and MFA in Writing.
• University of California Los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA – offers MFA.
• California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA.
• Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI.
• Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.
• Fordham University – offers B.F.A.
• Columbia University – offers MFA, joint JD/MFA degree, and PHD.
• Juilliard School in New York, NY is a performing arts school founded in 1905. It trains students in dance, drama, and music.
• ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA offers programs in many art and design fields for both undergraduate and graduate students. It also has public programs for children and high school students.