What types of art do we know?

1.Performing arts such as:

Dance
Singing
Drama
Poetry
Spoken word
Story telling

 What types o art do we know?

2.Visual art such as:

Drawing
painting
Printmaking
graphic design
Sculpture
Ceramics/Pottery
 Visual art contd.

Architecture
Costumes/apparel
Photography,Film,Television
Crafts and product design
Digital media/Electronic art
 Defining Art

Throughout history art has meant different things to

different people, this is true today too.
Many art museums display objects from different
cultures. We call these objects works of art. Some of the
objects may not have been thought of as art by the people
who made them. These objects instead, had useful
purposes and meanings in their lives.
Defining art raises problems also in that since the
beginning of the 20th century some artists have sought to
challenge the very definition of art. Their art objects may
lack the qualities long associated with art, such as
beauty, skilled craftsmanship, and clear
organisation. These art objects may even be
indistinguishable from consumer products.
during the last quarter of the 20th century, critics and
art historians considered many more types of objects
as art. Today, these authorities often speak of “visual
culture” – which may include motion pictures,
television, advertising, and comic books – instead of
giving special attention to sculpture, painting, or
architecture.
However, regardless of all opposing views about art,
We can generally define art as the product of
creative human activity in which materials
are shaped or selected to convey an idea,
emotion, or visually interesting form.
 The broad divisions of Visual art forms I

(i) Two Dimensional art.

Two dimensional art is frequently referred to as flat
art.
It has length and width
Visual Depth in two dimensional art is an illusion. It
is created using techniques such as perspective.
An example of a drawing done in perspective.
Photographs showing one point perspective
This picture shows a railroad vanishing into
distance.
(ii)placement or overlapping of subject matter on the
picture plane can also create the illusion of depth.
A photograph showing placement or overlapping
of subject matter.
Modeling techniques such as shading can give us the
illusion of depth in 2D art forms.
A shaded drawing of a spherical object
A shaded portrait
Shading technique used on a drawing of a
flower
Examples of two dimensional art are paintings,
graphic design, printmaking, drawing and fabric
decoration.
 The broad divisions of Visual art forms II

Three Dimensional art

Three dimensional art is also called free standing

art.
 It has height ,width and depth.
 One can interact with three dimensional art forms.
 3D art forms have masses and voids.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART

Art is created for 4 main reasons

(i)Practical functions
 This is the art created to meet day to day needs eg architecture for shelter and
mass produced goods.
(ii)Cultural Functions
 Much of what we know about other cultures and times comes from artwork.
 Architecture painting and other kinds of art have been created to honor leaders and
to teach religious beliefs. Art has been created to celebrate victories and remember
defeats. In our culture today, artworks are created for social, civic and political and
economic purposes.
(iii)Personal functions
 Art can be created to express thoughts and feelings. Art as a form of personal
expression is still respected in our culture. Artists are free to create art based on
their ideas and experiences.
(iv) Educational functions
 Art passed on knowledge about human history. All works that are kept in a
museum are part of our heritage.
 THE STRUCTURE OF ART.

Art deals with visual signs to convey ideas moods or

generalized emotional experiences. It may be called
‘the language of visual signs’. Unlike the language of
words however, art is not meant to be informative
always.
Sometimes in the interpretation of ideas or moods,
the artists may employ visual symbols but the
meaning of such symbols is contained in the forms or
images the artist creates just as are the ideas, moods
or experiences he conveys.
 The universal components

All works of art contain three universal components:

(i) Subject matter. There is always subject matter in
a work of art. In abstract art, subject matter may lie
more in the realm of ‘ideas’ or intellectual concepts
that are difficult to understand rather than based on
material objects or facts. Subject matter is the raw
material of experience leading to the creative art. It
is the topic, theme, and motif of a work art.
 Interpretation of subject matter in art.

Subject matter in art can be interpreted in two ways:

(i) Objectively.
Objective art usually presents reality as we know it
in everyday life.Artists mimic or reproduce nature in
exact detail.In some cases,the artwork is precisely
done that one cannot tell it apart from a photograph.
Examples of Objective art.
(ii) Subjectively
When subject matter in visual art is interpreted
subjectively, reality is distorted. Subjective art forms
show reality according to the artists point of
view.Here,even the true colours and proportions of
objects are changed to tell the story as the artist
wants it.
Subjective art includes non-objective art or abstract
art.These are forms of visual art that do not have
recognisable subject matter.
You may also encounter terms such as semi-abstract;
this is art that contains varying degrees of
recognizable subject matter alongside
unrecognisable objects.
 The universal components

(ii)Form. This in general refers to the final total

appearances of the physical object of art. This is the
organization of all elements and is what determines
the final appearance of the work. Form includes
everything from the material the artist uses (oil
paint, stone paper e.t.c to the style in which the artist
works. It includes how a work is put together i.e. its
composition.The description of form is best done
using appropriate adjectives for what you are seeing.
 The universal components

(iii)Style. As in any other area of life, style indicates a

series of choices an artist has made. Style is the
recurring or coherent traits identified with a certain
group or individual.
Styles of art include:
-Individual
-Cultural
-Historical
-General styles include;
-Expressionism-Any art that stresses the artist's
emotional and psychological expression, often with
bold colors and distortions of form.
-Realism-Any art form that imitates reality
-Abstraction-Characteristic of art in which natural
forms are not rendered in a naturalistic or
representational way, but instead are simplified or
distorted t some extent, often in an attempt to
convey the essence of form. It is also called non-
objective art.