Art may be present in any form of human activity. Plato regarded art as a form of play or pastime, which was inferior to such occupations as agriculture or cookery. Schiller referred to art as a play impulse. According to Ruskin, fine art is that which the hand, the head and the heart of ma...

Dictionary definitions are always helpful in making things more clear. The definition of mutilate is: to make imperfect by excising or altering parts. Mutilation is making imperfect. There are a few listed definitions of art. The first is: human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract t...

Although the De Stijl movement was not the renowned development that cubism or surrealism turned out to be, it nevertheless carried quite an influence into the art world and the design of architectural workings. Despite a fairly fleeting exposure, the De Stijl group could possibly be considered the...

Throughout history, women have often been portrayed in art as objects to be admired for their beauty and charm, but rarely to be acknowledged as artists themselves. Historically, the role of women was as mother and wife, a demanding charge that left little room for other pursuits. In "The Lady ...

Many artists place the art of stained glass into the category of "minor art". To some artists, the action of making stained glass is a craft, but the final product is viewed, not only as a work of art but also an expression of the artist, the subject they were presenting, and the architecture tha...

The nineteenth-century marked an age of radical change during which the arts were affected by revolutions in both science and philosophy. Artists were dramatically affected by these revolutions, as each art style was rapidly superseded by yet a newer style that incorporated the new change. Europea...

A common observation of current society demonstrates the link between art, music, drama, and literature and social norms, politics, scientific trends and discoveries, and religious and philosophical discussions. In some cases, it is difficult to discover whether it was, for example, the art that inf...

The "reintroduction" to the arts in the curriculum has been a slow process with many detours along the way. It has also been compared to Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in this way: "Three important truths are woven together in Gardner's characteristically perceptive trope. First is ...

Both Cézanne and Pollock understood that although their art was turning away from traditional forms, art is continuity. Never disregarding the Old Master, Cézanne is said to be the father of modernism and Pollock the man who brought art from Paris to America. These two men, both known as avant-...

In the artistic realm, the artist's thought process is morphologically transformed through the art materials and forms into signs, symbols, and imagery. Signs and symbols play a dominant role in 20th Century art; the artist used this medium as a language to portray intentions of varying differences...

When an artist displays a work of art in a public place such as Battery Park City, he or she must take into consideration the degree of interaction that may take place between the public and their work of art. When I spoke with the artist of The Upper Room, Ned Smyth, he explained his intention of t...

"My name is Marc. My emotional life is sensitive and my purse is empty, but they say I have talent" –Marc Chagall. I feel that art is subjective to the viewer's perspective. With that being said my perspective of Marc Chagall's art is that it is a feast for the eyes! I was immediately drawn ...

What does the word formalism mean to you? Give a brief outline of your understanding of formalism historically and technically in the visual arts. How do you use formalism in your work? Is it a major consideration, is it a tool like any other, do you perhaps not concern yourself with such analyses. ...

Modern art is a unique creation all it's own, and since its beginnings, there have been two very distinct groups: the Formalists and the Avant-Garde. The Formalist group believes in the literal representation of the artwork. They value the form used, whether it be how the colors are stressed or th...

Art History: Cubism Picasso's Still Life with Chair Caning 1912 characterises Cubism's divergence from more conventional, academic styles of painting previously dominating French art. Marking a transition between the Analytic and Synthetic phases, Still Life with Chair Caning expresses ...

Dictionary definitions are always helpful in making things more clear. The definition of mutilate is: to make imperfect by excising or altering parts. Mutilation is making imperfect. There are a few listed definitions of art. The first is: human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract t...

The Renaissance Introduction: In history, there were many time periods, one in which was called the Renaissance Period. This period ran from about the early fourteenth century through the late fifteenth century and in French, Renaissance means "The Re-Birth". It is defined in the Ame...

Darwinian Creativity, fact or fiction? (The Evolution of Kids Stuff.) In his paper, "Could there be a Darwinian Account of Human Creativity?", Daniel Dennett ponders the origins of what society deems art, and whether art has evolved from more primitive acts of construction, or, ...

During the Archaic (600b.c. - 480b.c.), Classical (480b.c. - 320b.c.) and Hellenistic (320b.c. - 30b.c.) periods, the developments of Greek freestanding sculpture and the human body progressed considerably. The forms and features of the human sculpture changed dramatically from generation to genera...

Within John Ruskin's book "The Two Paths" he discusses many of his ideas, concerns, and theories on art and art culture. I will cover four of what I think to be the more interesting concepts. Balancing true representation of form and 'abstract' human expression in an artwork. The effect art has...

The piece I have chosen is an oil painting by Chuck Close entitled "Robert," (1997). I observed it at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The painting, which measures an enormous 102 by 84 inches, is a straightforward portrait of one of Close's friends and fellow pop artists Robert R...

Art is like an onoin, it has layers upon layers creating a complex structure that when opened will make the strongest of person cry. To analyze art's structure is to box creativity, understand mystery, and harness society. Never the less art must be dissected to better understand its process an...

Imagine if you will a world where rock musicians were no longer the superstars that they are today. Instead of headlining tours, dating models and making millions of dollars musicians would surround themselves in fine art. Through study and a liberal arts education these rock musicians would becom...

The Russian Avant-Garde began in Russia in about 1915. It was the year that Malevich revealed his Suprematist compositions that reduced painting to total abstraction and rid the pictures of any reference to the visual world. He is credited with being the first artist to do this; that is, forsake the...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol is a very important contributor to the world of art. Andy's life so revolved around art, that he believed no two other things tied in with each other more. Alastair Mackintosh wrote of him: "He was aware of the pressure of success, of the danger of becoming an inst...