(Etymology)

The root word-art comes from Latin –Artem 'skill' that usually refers to the quality or expressions of what
is beautiful or of great significance. For instance, the word artefact refers to an object of cultural interest
made by a human being because: Arte: By skill.
The word art derives from the Latin "ars" (stem art-), which, although literally defined means "skill
method" or "technique", also conveys a connotation of beauty.
(Definition)
the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as
painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
Art is a diverse range of human activities involving the creation of visual, auditory or performing artifacts
(artworks), which express the creator's imagination, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be
appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. [1][2] Other activities related to the production of
works of art include art criticism and the history of art.
(Work of Art)

 a product of one of the fine artsespecially : a painting or sculpture of high artistic quality. something
giving high aesthetic satisfaction to the viewer or listener

The definition of work of art is something that is considered to have aesthetic value, something that is
beautiful, intriguing, interesting, creative or extremely well done.

(importance of art)

Children who have experienced a wide range of people and places will have an array of ideas to choose
from when doing art. Art reflects what a child knows about the world and enables the child to choose how
to translate those ideas and experiences. Finally, art is important because it allows children to be creative.

First, art is the barometer that measures levels of cultural sophistication. Throughout human existence, we
have learned about cultural accomplishments from the cultural artifacts left behind. Many of these
artifacts have left behind permanent marks on the planet. Consider the construction of Stonehenge, the
Greek Parthenon, the Roman Colosseum, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, gothic cathedrals, St.
Peter’s Basilica, Meso-American pyramids, the Taj Mahal and even, the Statue of Liberty. Each of these
iconic structures also is a piece of art that communicates important messages about the time, place and
context in which the structure was created.

In addition to providing commentary about the larger culture, art makes life more manageable, tolerable
and enjoyable. One may not think about more utilitarian items and places as “art,” but they do contribute
to one’s aesthetic experience. Think about the iPhone, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Call of Duty: Black
Ops, floor rugs, royal processions, Gucci’s Spring line, Versace furniture, Ducati motorcycles, Land
Rovers, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, Calvin Klein, Calatrava bridges, sunglasses, military uniforms, Star
Wars, Rolling Stone Magazine covers and the Transformers. Now, remove any element founded in
creativity, art and design, and all that remains are piles of materials that require human imagination and
visual thinking.
Art forces humans to look beyond that which is necessary to survive and leads people to create for the
sake of expression and meaning.

Art can communicate information, shape our everyday lives, make a social statement and be enjoyed for
aesthetic beauty. Tarrant County College reinforces Fort Worth’s rich culture. Each campus offers a
variety of fine art experiences for students of all majors to attend and become inspired. These
opportunities include theater performances, music concerts, dance performances and visual art gallery
exhibitions. Trinity River Campus is even home to a large techno-centric art collection. These free
resources represent an extension of the classroom and can be utilized and appreciated by the entire
community.

On the other hand, art can give meaning to the concept of death. Egyptians mummified individuals and
laid them to rest in magnificent tombs, while present-day humans place loved ones in the ground (or in
mausoleums) and decorate that resting place with plaques, memorials and flowers. El Dia de los Muertos
celebrates the passing of loved ones and remembers them through visitations, offerings and the belief that
their souls remain near. These cultural practices, combined with our scientific understanding, allow us to
process life and death more holistically.

(functions of art)
Ideally, one can look at a piece of art and guess with some accuracy where it came from and when. This
best-case scenario also includes identifying the artist because they are in no small way part of the
contextual equation. You might wonder, "What was the artist thinking when they created this?" when you
see a piece of art. You, the viewer, are the other half of this equation; you might ask yourself how that
same piece of art makes you feel as you look at it.

These—in addition to the time period, location of creation, cultural influences, etc.—are all factors that
should be considered before trying to assign functions to art. Taking anything out of context can lead to
misunderstanding art and misinterpreting an artist's intentions, which is never something you want to do.

The functions of art normally fall into three categories: physical, social, and personal. These categories
can and often do overlap in any given piece of art. When you're ready to start thinking about these
functions, here's how.

Physical

The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand. Works of art that are created to perform
some service have physical functions. If you see a Fijian war club, you may assume that, however
wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it was created to perform the physical function of smashing skulls.

A Japanese raku bowl is a piece of art that performs a physical function in a tea ceremony. Conversely, a
fur-covered teacup from the Dada movement has no physical function. Architecture, crafts such as
welding and woodworking, interior design, and industrial design are all types of art that serve physical
functions.

Social
Art has a social function when it addresses aspects of (collective) life as opposed to one person's point of
view or experience. Viewers can often relate in some way to social art and are sometimes even influenced
by it.

For example, public art in 1930s Germany had an overwhelming symbolic theme. Did this art exert
influence on the German population? Decidedly so, as did political and patriotic posters in Allied
countries during the same time. Political art, often designed to deliver a certain message, always carries a
social function. The fur-covered Dada teacup, useless for holding tea, carried a social function in that it
protested World War I (and nearly everything else in life).

Art that depicts social conditions performs social functions and often this art comes in the form of
photography. The Realists figured this out early in the 19th century. American photographer Dorothea
Lange (1895–1965) along with many others often took pictures of people in conditions that are difficult to
see and think about.

Additionally, satire performs social functions. Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746–1828) and English
portrait artist William Hogarth (1697–1764) both went this route with varying degrees of success at
motivating social change with their art. Sometimes the possession of specific pieces of art in a community
can elevate that community's status. A stabile by American kinetic artist Alexander Calder (1898–1976),
for example, can be a community treasure and point of pride.

Personal

The personal functions of art are often the most difficult to explain. There are many types of personal
functions and these are highly subjective. Personal functions of art are not likely to be the same from
person to person.

An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-expression or gratification. They might also or instead
want to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Sometimes an artist is only trying to provide an
aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might be meant to entertain, provoke thought, or
even have no particular effect at all.

Personal function is vague for a reason. From artist to artist and viewer to viewer, one's experience with
art is different. Knowing the background and behaviors of an artist helps when interpreting the personal
function of their pieces.

Art may also serve the personal function of controlling its viewers, much like social art. It can also
perform religious service or acknowledgment. Art has been used to attempt to exert magical control,
change the seasons, and even acquire food. Some art brings order and peace, some creates chaos. There is
virtually no limit to how art can be used.

Finally, sometimes art is used to maintain a species. This can be seen in rituals of the animal kingdom and
in humans themselves. Biological functions obviously include fertility symbols (in any culture), but there
are many ways humans adorn their bodies with art in order to be attractive to others and eventually mate.

Determining the Function of Art

The functions of art apply not only to the artist that created a piece but to you as the viewer. Your whole
experience and understanding of a piece should contribute to the function you assign it, as well as
everything you know about its context. Next time you are trying to understand a piece of art, try to
remember these four points: (1) context and (2) personal, (3) social, and (4) physical functions.
Remember that some art serves only one function and some all three (perhaps even more).

(category of art)
Traditional categories within the arts include literature (including poetry, drama, story, and so on),
the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.), the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other
forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), the decorative arts (enamelwork,
furniture design, mosaic, etc.), the performing arts (theatre, dance, music), music (as composition), and
architecture (often including interior design).

The arts are treated in a number of articles. For general discussions of the foundations, principles,
practice, and character of the arts, see aesthetics. For the technical and theoretical aspects of several
arts, see architecture, calligraphy, dance, drawing, literature, motion
picture, music, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and theatre.

(classification of arts)

The arts have also been classified as seven: painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music,
performing and cinema. Some view literature, painting, sculpture, and music as the main four arts, of
which the others are derivative; drama is literature with acting, dance is music expressed through motion,
and song is music with literature and voice.

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the
"matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements,
such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, can be used.

Architecture can mean: A general term to describe buildings and other physical structures. The art and
science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures. The style of design and method of
construction of buildings and other physical structures. A unifying or coherent form or structure.

the action or art of making statues by carving or chiseling (as in wood or stone), by modeling (as in clay),
or by casting (as in melted metal) 2 : a work of art produced by sculpture. sculpture.

written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.

forms of creative activity that are performed in front of an audience, such as drama, music, and dance.

Cinema, or motion picture, is the art of moving images; a visual medium that tells stories and exposes
reality. Created in the dusk of the 19th century, cinema is the world's most recent art form. It is also, by
far, the world's most complex, collaborative, and costly artistic expression.

(elements of art)
Color: Color is the visual perception seen by the human eye. The modern color wheel is designed to
explain how color is arraigned and how colors interact with each other. In the center of the color wheel,
are the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. The second circle is the secondary colors, which are
the two primary colors mixed. Red and blue mixed together form purple, red, and yellow, form orange,
and blue and yellow, create green. The outer circle is the tertiary colors, the mixture of a primary color
with an adjacent secondary color.

Color contains characteristics, including hue, value, and saturation. Primary hues are also the primary
colors: red, yellow, and blue. When two primary hues are mixed, they produce secondary hues, which are
also the secondary colors: orange, violet, and green. When two colors are combined, they create
secondary hues, creating additional secondary hues such as yellow-orange, red-violet, blue-green, blue-
violet, yellow-green, and red-orange.

Value: refers to how adding black or white to color changes the shade of the original color, for example,
in (1.26). The addition of black or white to one color creates a darker or lighter color giving artists
gradations of one color for shading or highlighting in a painting.

Saturation: the intensity of color, and when the color is fully saturated, the color is the purest form or
most authentic version. The primary colors are the three fully saturated colors as they are in the purest
form. As the saturation decreases, the color begins to look washed out when white or black is added.
When a color is bright, it is considered at its highest intensity.
Form: Form gives shape to a piece of art, whether it is the constraints of a line in a painting or the edge of
the sculpture. The shape can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional restricted to height and weight, or it
can be free-flowing. The form also is the expression of all the formal elements of art in a piece of work.
Line: A line in art is primarily a dot or series of dots. The dots form a line, which can vary in thickness,
color, and shape. A line is a two-dimensional shape unless the artist gives it volume or mass. If an artist
uses multiple lines, it develops into a drawing more recognizable than a line creating a form resembling
the outside of its shape. Lines can also be implied as in an action of the hand pointing up, the viewer's
eyes continue upwards without even a real line.
Shape: The shape of the artwork can have many meanings. The shape is defined as having some sort of
outline or boundary, whether the shape is two or three dimensional. The shape can be geometric (known
shape) or organic (free form shape). Space and shape go together in most artworks.
Space: Space is the area around the focal point of the art piece and might be positive or negative, shallow
or deep, open, or closed. Space is the area around the art form; in the case of a building, it is the area
behind, over, inside, or next to the structure. The space around a structure or other artwork gives the
object its shape. The children are spread across the picture, creating space between each of them, the
figures become unique.

Texture: Texture can be rough or smooth to the touch, imitating a particular feel or sensation. The texture
is also how your eye perceives a surface, whether it is flat with little texture or displays variations on the
surface, imitating rock, wood, stone, fabric. Artists added texture to buildings, landscapes, and portraits
with excellent brushwork and layers of paint, giving the illusion of reality.

(principles of art)

Balance: The balance in a piece of art refers to the distribution of weight or the apparent weight of the
piece. Arches are built for structural design and to hold the roof in place, allowing for passage of people
below the arch and creating balance visually and structurally. It may be the illusion of art that can create
balance.
Contrast: Contrast is defined as the difference in colors to create a piece of visual art. For instance, black
and white is a known stark contrast and brings vitality to a piece of art, or it can ruin the art with too
much contrast. Contrast can also be subtle when using monochromatic colors, giving variety and unity the
final piece of art.

Emphasis: Emphasis can be color, unity, balance, or any other principle or element of art used to create a
focal point. Artists will use emphasis like placing a string of gold in a field of dark purple. The color
contrast between the gold and dark purple causes the gold lettering to pop out, becoming the focal point.

Rhythm/Movement: Rhythm in a piece of art denotes a type of repetition used to either demonstrate

movement or expanse. For instance, in a painting of waves crashing, a viewer will automatically see the
movement as the wave finishes. The use of bold and directional brushwork will also provide movement in
a painting.
Proportion/Scale: Proportion is the relationship between items in a painting, for example, between the sky
and mountains. If the sky is more than two-thirds of the painting, it looks out of proportion. The scale in
art is similar to proportion, and if something is not to scale, it can look odd. If there is a person in the
picture and their hands are too large for their body, then it will look out of scale. Artists can also use scale
and proportion to exaggerate people or landscapes to their advantage.
Unity and variety: In art, unity conveys a sense of completeness, pleasure when viewing the art, and
cohesiveness to the art, and how the patterns work together brings unity to the picture or object. As the
opposite of unity, variety should provoke changes and awareness in the art piece. Colors can provide
unity when they are in the same color groups, and a splash of red can provide variety.
Pattern: Pattern is the way something is organized and repeated in its shape or form and can flow without
much structure in some random repetition. Patterns might branch out similar to flowers on a plant or form
spirals and circles as a group of soap bubbles or seem irregular in the cracked, dry mud. All works of art
have some sort of pattern even though it may be hard to discern; the pattern will form by the colors, the
illustrations, the shape, or numerous other art methods.
(subject and content)
Subject matter is the literal, visible image in a work while content includes the connotative, symbolic, and
suggestive aspects of the image. The subject matter is the subject of the artwork, e.g., still life, portrait,
landscape etc.
"Content is not subject or things in the painting. Content is the communication of ideas, feelings and
reactions connected with the subject...... When we look at a painting its content is what is sensed rather
than what can be analyzed. It is the ultimate reason for creating art." Something in the painting must
appeal or speak to the heart, spirit and soul of the viewer. He specifically calls this "emotional content".
(ways of presenting the subject)
Realism

 in art, this is to attempt to portray the subject as it is.

 Even when the artist chooses a subject from nature, he selects, changes, and arranges details to
express the idea he wants to make clear.
 Realist try to be as objective as possible.
  The artist’s main function is to describe as accurately and honestly as possible what is observed
through
 Work of art seems so natural
 In literature – its goal is the faithful rendering of the objective reality of human life. It stresses the
daily life of the common person.
 In poetry and drama were influenced by realism, but in novel that realism achieved its greatness
Abstraction

 This is used when the artist becomes so interested in one phase of a scene or a situation that he
does not show the subject at all as an objective reality, but only his idea, or his feeling about it.
 To abstract – to move away or separate
 In sculpture – texture and shape were more important than the exact form.
 Abstract subjects can also be presentedin many ways like:
o 1. Distortion - this clearly manifested when the subject is in misshapen condition, or the
regular is twisted out.
o 2. Elongation - it refers to that which is being lengthened, a protraction or an extension.
o 3. Mangling - this may not be a commonly used way of presenting an abstract subject, but
there are few artists who show subjects or objects which are cut, lacerated, mutilated, or
hacked with repeated blows.
o 4. Cubism - it stresses abstract form through the use of a cone, cylinder, or sphere at the
expense of other pictorial element. Shows form in basic geometrical shapes.
o 5. Abstract expressionism - style of painting that originated in New York City after
WWII Characterized by great verve, the use of large canvasses, and a deliberate lack of
refinement in the application of paint. Strong color, heavy impasto, uneven brush strokes,
and rough textures
Symbolism

 A symbol is a visible sign of something invisible such as an idea or a quality.

 An emblem or a sign
 % - percentages
 Lion – courage
 Lamb – meekness
Fauvism

 Important movement of the 1900’s

 Flourished as a group from about 1903-1907
 It did not attempt to express ethical, philosophical, or psychological theme.
 The artist tries to paint picture of comfort, joy, and pleasure.
 Use of extremely bright colors.
Dadaism

 A protest movement in the arts formed in 1916 by group of artists and poets in Zurich,
Switzerland.
 They tried to shock and provoke the public with outrageous pieces of writing, poetry recitals, and
art exhibitions.
  Playful and highly experimental
 Dada – french word “hobby horse” (nonsensical)
Futurism

 Developed in Italy about the same time cubism appeared in France

 Artists wanted their work to capture the speed and force of modern industrial society
 Glorified the mechanical energy of modern life.
 Subjects include automobile, motorcycles, railroad trains, and modern cities
Surrealism

 Movement in art and literature founded in Paris in 1924 by the French poet Andre Breton
 Surrealism uses art as a weapon against evils and restriction that surrealist see in the society
 Unlike dadaism, it tries to reveal a new and higher reality than that of everyday life.
 Invented word – super realism

(Artists and his medium of technique)

Painting Techniques

 Oil - Capable of capturing even the most nuanced details shadowed amidst light and dark, oil is
the paint of history. Oil paint is made with natural pigments, linseed oil and turpentine, making it
recognizable in sight and smell. The main downside is that it can take up to nine months to dry
completely and even years for heavy impasto (texture). The Old Masters like Leonardo da
Vinci, Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco Goya used oil as a tool to evoke sentiments of agony,
ecstasy and poetry.  Modern artists seeking color saturation, versatility and subtle illumination,
prefer to use oil paint. These include Park West Gallery artists Duaiv, Csaba Markus, Emile
Bellet, Maya Green, Slava Ilyavev, Michael Milkin, and Hua Chen.
 Watercolor - was initially developed in Asia during the 8th century to be laid on fine silks and
woven paper. The paints slowly made their way to Byzantium and Europe in the 14th century,
placing its aesthetic hold onto illuminated manuscripts, and later rendered itself to the gossamer
aesthetic of the French Impressionists. Watercolor paint uses ground pigments mixed with water-
soluble binders. Watercolor painting lends itself to a gradient of tonal hues that can imitate the
washes of sky and sea, but it is considered one of the most difficult mediums to master, as it
doesn’t lend itself to correction after application. Many consider Itzchak Tarkay (1935-2012) to
be an especially gifted watercolorist who awed viewers with his technique.
 Acrylic - Made commercially available only as recent as the 1950s, acrylic is paint that binds its
pigment with a synthetic resin. Acrylics are water soluble during application, yet water-resistant
when dry, making them easy to blend and fast-drying. Unlike its oil-infused predecessor, acrylic
paint emerged in the era of advertising, graphic design and glossy, cosmopolitan editorials.
Therefore, by association, acrylic paints are vibrantly hued, eye-catching and possess an advertent
pop of bright ceruleans and magentas. No surprise that creators of pop art like Peter Max, Simon
Bull, Romero Britto and Andy Warhol brought acrylic paint into celebrity.
Spray Techniques
  Giclée - (pronounced gee-clay) printing is the art medium of “now,” fusing together traditions of
realism and digital innovation.  A French term, translating into “the spraying of ink,” giclées
aren’t simply printed reproductions; rather, they’re the result of obsessive digital fine-tuning and
modification, and are able to capture great photorealistic detail. The process begins with a high
resolution photograph of the artwork being translated into giclée form. The image is then
scanned, turned into a digital source file, color corrected, printed, revised, reprinted – and subject
to constant adjustment until the artist is satisfied with the printed product. Artists
liked Pino, Andrew Bone, Scott Jacobs, Autumn de Forest, and many more have utilized giclées
for their limited edition artworks.
 Dye sublimation - is one of Park West Gallery’s latest and most innovative mediums. Dye
sublimation is the digital printing process that transfers imagery onto materials such as metal,
glass and plastic. The concept is based on sublimation, which is when a substance changes from a
solid to a gas without becoming a liquid. The original image is rendered into a digital matrix, or
map, and from there the artist has complete control over how the colors will appear on the final
work of art. Lastly, the mapped image is printed onto transfer paper using dye-based inks, and
then transferred onto a specially coated aluminum plate with heat and pressure. Dye sublimation
works are renowned for achieving striking and crisp detail and vivid luminosity. Artists such
as Michael Cheval, Guy Harvey and Yuval Wolfson utilize the technique.

Surface Techniques

 Lithography, or “stone writing,” is a printmaking process where images are inked and pressed on
slabs of stone. Lithography was heavily utilized by 19th and 20th century artists like Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec, Marc Chagall and Marcel Mouly. Revered for its capability to produce
atmospheric, delicate colors and soft tonalities, lithography lends itself to a painterly aesthetic.
Based on the antipathy of water and oil, the lithographic process begins by drawing an image, in
reverse, on a stone using a greasy crayon or liquid form called a tusche. The stone is treated with
water, which adheres to all areas except those drawn with the crayon. Lastly, a layer of ink is
rolled onto the stone, which is repelled by the water and sticks only to the greasy drawn or
painted areas. Paper is then placed on the surface and pressed, transferring the ink to paper. This
process must be completed separately for each color on each example. In fact, it can take months
to finish an edition of lithographs.
 Serigraphy - From applying images to T-Shirts, stenciling holiday cards or even airbrushing,
we’ve all dabbled in serigraphy, or its common iteration, screen printing. Don’t let this familiarity
trick you, however, as fine art serigraphy is a time-consuming and physically demanding
medium. In serigraphy, stencils are adhered to a porous polymer screen and tightly stretched
around a frame. Paper is then placed under the screen, and ink is applied to the top of the screen
and layered across the entire surface with the aid of a squeegee. Like lithography, a separate
stencil or matrix is created for each color, which requires a patient and precise eye.  Serigraphy
 creates images of striking texture, decisive lines and sharp colors. Artists like Erte, Tarkay
and Yaacov Agam are among the innovators of the medium.
 Serio-lithography - As the name suggests, serio-lithography is a hybrid medium, incorporating
characteristics of both serigraphy and lithography. Artworks that utilize this technique are
initially inked and pressed on a lithography plate and then enhanced with one or more serigraphic
screens. By combining these two graphic techniques, serio-lithographs are appreciated for their
vivid colors, tonal depth, and texture.
Intaglio Technique

 Etching - is a laborious and painstakingly detail-oriented medium. Old masters such as

Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco Goya heavily utilized the medium to achieve awe-inspiring
images. Creating an etching begins with covering a metal plate with an acid-resistant ground. The
image being printed is then scratched into the ground with a fine tool, exposing the metal plate
beneath. The plate is then submerged into an acid bath, burning away at the exposed metal – the
longer the plate is submerged, the deeper the impressed lines became. Once removed from the
bath, the plate is inked, the surface is cleaned so that ink is only residing in the incisions and
moistened paper is pressed into the paper, extracting the ink and creating the mirror image of the
composition.
 Engraving - like etching, requires a patient hand and keen eye for detail. However, unlike etching,
engraving uses cutting tools to incise lines directly into the surface of a metal plate – no acids are
employed or grounds used to treat the plate. This means a precise technique is needed to print a
successful impression. The plate is then inked and pressed against paper, to create a mirrored
version of the engraving. Albrecht Durer preferred the technique, creating some of the most
intricate engravings of all time.
Relief Techniques

 Relief printing is done as you would imagine pressing a rubber stamp, however, the process for
creating a relief matrix is comprehensive and requires a clean design. Relief techniques are
essentially the opposite of the intaglio techniques described previously, which mean that the
image’s negative areas are cut away with a knife or chisel, leaving the image to reside on the
surface level once inked. Like many forms of printing, the final image is the reverse image of the
matrix. Examples of relief techniques include wood cuts and linocuts, where the relief is chiseled
onto a block of wood in the former and a sheet of linoleum in the latter.

(Conclusions