A broad definition of “the arts” covers anything from theatre, architecture, sculpting, painting, music, printing, and much more. However, a visual arts definition involves artistic creations that we can see.
The sole purpose of fine art is for the artist to express themselves and share their message. They are telling a story, whether it is painting, drawing, sculpting, or even poetry and photography.
The sole purpose of decorative art is for the art to fit into a space where it can be displayed. Take for example an interior decorator, who creates an appealing or visual décor.
Representational art is easily recognized as art as it represents actual people or objects. These can be sculptures, paintings, and drawings. The art is created from real-life sources and is a more realistic art form.
This form of art is fairly new to the art world and bases its views on deviations from reality captured by the Impressionists. This art also includes cubism, minimalism, and Precisionism.
This art form is often confused with abstract art, but it is completely different as it takes absolutely nothing from reality and is created entirely for aesthetic purposes.
This may be one of the oldest forms of visual art and is also known as a form of traditional art. The more popular forms of painting include oil painting, watercolors, and acrylic paintings.
Sculpting is another common type of visual art and is more of a three-dimensional form of art. Traditional forms used hard materials like wood, clay, ceramics, and stone, while more modern applications can include plastic and other materials.
Architecture is a process that involves planning, designing, droughting, and then constructing a structure. The final design is both practical and expressive or has aesthetic value.
Ceramics can be both an art and a craft as many designs are for display or decorative purposes, while others are more functional. Ceramics can include figurines, pottery, and things like tableware.
Photography is a more modern form of art and is not part of the traditional art forms. Photography can also be included as an example of fine art as well as commercial art.