The 7 disciplines of fine art: “art for art’s sake”
To define contemporary fine art culture is first to define culture. Culture is how societies inform their lives via specific behaviors and schools of thought. Every culture and subculture determines what is “normal” or “acceptable” to them. And it is through this multilayered lens, that individuals determine who they are, who they will be, how they self-actualize, when, and why.The “fine” in fine art, was also meant to denote the unadulterated artistic expression, requiring no actual function.
The main purpose of fine art was to essentially add beauty to society. At this time the art did not need to be useful like say, a frying pan would, but just present as elegant and beautiful. This notion often brings a phrase coined by French poet Théophile Gautier, “L’art pour l’art” meaning “art for art’s sake”.
Art for art’s sake is a discourse in itself
According toZolbergthe historical-cultural importance of the discipline of fine art was first introduced and cultivated in Europe. Fine art was purely a social construct underpinning the socioeconomic and the political. It increased in importance when sovereign nation-states began forming. What became central to the sustaining power of fine art was the communication that developed around it, which can be seen in contemporary controversial art exhibitions like the 1995 Tracey Emin,Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995,the 1989Guerrilla Girls,Do Women Have to be Naked to get into the Met. Museum?, and the 1917Marcel Duchamp,Fountain.
The dialogue surrounding certain fine art forms according toZolberg ultimately determined which forms were considered worthy of high honors and deemed most superior. These designations later afforded certain art, and association with those of high standing in society, the elite, and the wealthy. By this time development of methodical systems common to the art world was institutionalized officially and used in the acquisition, preservation, storage, and exhibition of art.
Icons of fine art
Now, usually, when one thinks of some of the most iconic names in fine art a list of male names can be rattled off. Think Pablo Picasso; renowned for cubism and disfigured or distorted portraiture, Leonardo Divinci; painted the popular Mona Lisa, Michaelangelo; famous for the Sistine Chapel, Vincent Van Gogh; Starry night, Salvador Dali; worked in surrealism and is recognized for the melted clocks in the Persistence of Memory and Jackson Pollock; abstract expressionism inkblots.
This list can certainly go on, but there are a plethora of women that must also be remembered for their contributions to fine art culture. Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun; Marie Antoinette portraits, Georgia O’Keeffe; abstract flowers and New York skyscrapers–The Radiator Building, Frida Kahlo; folk art self-portraiture style, Mary Cassatt; impressionist style, and Tamara De Lempicka; art deco high stylized paintings.
These artists paved the way forAndy Warhol,Jean-Michel Basquiat,andKeith Haring.However, today contemporary fine art is more than just painting and is defined by 7 fine art disciplines: painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, music, literature, and dance.
The 7 Contemporary fine art disciplines
Painting
Painting is a type of fine art that utilizes pigmented colors by applying them to canvas,paper, or any other flat surface with or without a paintbrush. Oil, acrylics, watercolors, or pastels may also be used. Fine artists have been known to employ anything from chapel ceilings, glass windows, and dumpster-dived couches, to old closet doors as painting surfaces. This area of fine art includes drawing, usually with pencils, markers, paint markers, charcoal, crayons, and chalk.
Sculpture
Sculpture is a visual art defined by the artist shaping, molding, and forming, shapes, and figures. The freedom of sculpture is the varied materials that can be used to do this such as stone, wire, metal, bronze, ivory, wood, plastic, clay, and other unique mediums to create structures and forms. Some unique contemporary sculptureexhibitions have even used pieces of clothing, colored pencils, and pennies.
Architecture
Architecture is the study and the design, planning, and construction of buildings, often based on different time periods such as Victorian, Gothic, Plantation, Colonial, or Greek Corthinian. Today, some common architectural styles that may be recognizable are American Craftsman, Mid-Century Modern, and High-tech architecture of the 21st century. More contemporary architecture designs are expressive and sometimes represent everyday items, such as the 1.5 billion dollars Hollywood, Florida Hard Rock Casino, and The Guitar Hotel.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary writing which utilizes rhythm or freeform styles in the expression of thoughts and feelings. Poetry can be written about anything from social to political, romantic, and natural. Some forms of poetry call for specific syllables, lines, stanzas, and meter. They can be extremely simple or complex, utilizing literary techniques and figurative language such as metaphor, similes, hyperboles, personification, and alliteration.
Poetry has also evolved to include the more contemporary, spoken word poetry having its roots in the Harlem Renaissance, Beat Poets era, Call and Response of African culture, and competitive poetry slams for youth and adults. Poetry is often paired with the fine art forms of painting and drawing, sculpture, and dance. Some of the world’s most renowned poets are Rumi, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, Nikki Giovanni, Asia Samson, Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur, and Jasmine Mans.
Music
The purpose of music is to vocalize or use instruments to express feelings, thoughts, and harmony. The universal language of music underpins many world cultures and is a source of historical narrative storytelling. Music is a form of rhythmic communication involving various instruments such as percussion (yes, this includes the Piano), woodwind, brass, and string. Music is accompanied by lyricists on many occasions, or without and falls under several genres such as Blues, Jazz, Folk, Reggae, Country, Hip Hop, Opera, Classic, Film Scores, Indie, Techno, Rock, Classic Rock, R&B, Trance, Heavy Metal, and Gospel.
Literature
Literature is comprised of the written word and associated with a collection of written works. It does not denote anything specific in its most barebones definition, only that the work be a written work respectively. Literature is further recognized as books, magazines, and plays; falling into genres such as Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Essay, Memoir, Crime, Speculative, Anthology, Epic, Fabel, Autobiography, and literature by language eg. French Literature, Latin Literature, and German Literature.
Dance
The performance fine art form of dance is the use of the body for the expression of thought and emotion, with or without music. Dance is often pre-choreographed, rhythmic, sequential, and cultural. Types of dance are Ballet, Modern and Contemporary, Jazz, Ballroom, Hip-hop, Folk, and Performance Art.
Ironically, the 7 fine art disciplines are extraordinary in that they are free enough to at some point evoke one another yet complete enough to stand strong on their own. But, altogether an onlooker can witness 7 disciplines working in unison, or 3-4 of the 7 disciplines forming one work of art, such as in a play that utilizes the spoken word with poetry, music and vocalizing, dancing, and the architecture of the sets. This is indicative of how fine art sustains itself, with itself, but must also be intentionally sustained by society.
Keeping fine art education alive
In order for the fine art culture to continue to stretch its legs, grow, and transform, it’s essential education in fine arts continues to be supported. Often times fine art education and programming get the short end of the stick, despite the that it has been the main source of conservation of history from the beginning of time. It is necessary that come whatever budget cuts or low prioritization, certain aspects of society give to fine art, and those who love and honor it come together to ensure its staying power.
Organizations like theSouth Florida Society for Arts and Cultureare necessary to continue fostering artistic expression in generations to come. Without these outlets intentionally missioned to cultivate creativity, contemporary fine art would be in the lurch.
Art-Collecting is a great resourcefor anyone interested in exploring fine art culture. As a directory and repository for all things contemporary fine art, it is a go-to for those who want to understand Florida’s contemporary fine art culture through an exploration of various Florida galleries, museums, art fairs, and art centers, includingMAC FINE ART.
Artists and art lovers, history has emphasized what makes fine art culture all that it is and needs to be. The world dotes on the idea that something can exist just because, without pretense or insecurity.It is this inherent freedom of expression that imbues contemporary fine art and gives it room to breathe and evolve as it does. The liberation that echoes through the history of fine art eternally is and ought to remain, “L’art pour l’art”, “art for artsake”.
References
Zolberg, V.L.(2002). “Fine Arts,”New School University, New York.
FAQs
What is contemporary fine arts? ›
What is Contemporary Fine Art? The Wikipedia definition of Contemporary Fine Art is: Contemporary art is art produced at the present point in time. Contemporary art includes, and develops from, Postmodern Art, which is itself a successor to Modern Art.
What are the 7 major contemporary art forms in the Philippines and define each? ›The seven different art forms are Painting, Sculpture, Literature, Architecture, Theater, Film, and Music.
What is the contemporary art? ›Strictly speaking, the term "contemporary art" refers to art made and produced by artists living today. Today's artists work in and respond to a global environment that is culturally diverse, technologically advancing, and multifaceted.
What are the 7 elements and principles of contemporary art? ›* Principles of Art & Design: pattern, repetition, rhythm, balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, and unity /harmony.
What Is fine arts in simple words? ›Fine art, also referred to as “high art,” has long been held up as the highest standard of artistic expression. Fine artists make work that is purely created to be aesthetically pleasing. The aesthetic purpose distinguishes the fine arts from the “low arts” which are traditionally designed for more practical purposes.
What is contemporary art in essay? ›Contemporary art is the art of today, produced by artists who are living in our time. It provides opportunities to reflect on society and the issues that are important to us and the world. It is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as identity, family, community, and nationality.
What are the 7 functions of contemporary art? ›- Aesthetic Value. One of the biggest benefits of Contemporary Art is its aesthetic value. ...
- Relaxation and Inspiration. ...
- Personal Expression. ...
- Cultural Commentary. ...
- Thought Provoking. ...
- Final Thoughts.
- Visual arts.
- Literature.
- music.
- Stage.
- Dance.
- Architecture.
- Film.
One definition of fine art is "a visual art considered to have been created primarily for aesthetic and intellectual purposes and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness, specifically, painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolor, graphics, and architecture."
How will you define art using your own words and idea? ›Art is often considered the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and ways of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture and paintings.
What is art in your own opinion? ›
Art is any form of creative expression that transports the admirer to a different place. That place may be physical or emotional or symbolic.
What are the 7 elements of art & why are they important to learn? ›They are color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. Mastery of these seven basic elements of art are important if you want to achieve some level of mastery in your art. It is an understanding of these elements of art that makes your artwork interesting, and creates an impact on your viewers.
What are the seven 7 styles in contemporary art? ›Seven contemporary art forms include architecture, film, literature, music, painting, sculpture, and theater.
Why is it important to understand the 7 principles of art and design? ›The seven principles of design in photography—balance, rhythm, pattern, emphasis, contrast, unity, and movement—form the foundation of visual arts. Using the seven principles allows you to take greater control of your photographic practice. This will lead to better photos and more photographic opportunities.
What is your understanding about fine arts and its importance? ›The fine arts also provide learners with non-academic benefits such as promoting self-esteem, motivation, aesthetic awareness, cultural exposure, creativity, improved emotional expression, as well as social harmony and appreciation of diversity. These are the very fibers of the fabric known as our American culture.
What is art definition essay? ›It expresses emotions or expression of life. It is one such creation that enables interpretation of any kind. It is a skill that applies to music, painting, poetry, dance and more. Moreover, nature is no less than art. For instance, if nature creates something unique, it is also art.
What is fine art and its example? ›Examples of fine art include drawing, painting, architecture, and sculpture. Drawing is a fine art that involves creating an image through the use of line and shadow. An example of a newer fine art is photography.
What is contemporary in your own words? ›Things that are contemporary are either happening at the same time or happening now. Contemporary art is recent art. In history class, if you hear that one famous person was a contemporary of another, that means they lived at the same time. Contemporaries are people and things from the same time period.
What is your definition of contemporary? ›: living or occurring at the same period of time. : of the present time : modern, current. contemporary.
How do you define contemporary? ›adjective. existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time: Newton's discovery of the calculus was contemporary with that of Leibniz. of about the same age or date: a Georgian table with a contemporary wig stand. of the present time; modern: a lecture on the contemporary novel.
What is the meaning of 7 arts? ›
Seven arts may refer to: The traditional subdivision of the arts, being Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Literature, Music, Performing, and Film. The Seven Liberal Arts, being grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
What do you know about the 7 elements of art? ›There are seven elements of art that are considered the building blocks of art as a whole. The seven elements are line, color, value, shape, form, space, and texture.
Why do we need to study contemporary arts essay? ›Contemporary art is important due to its historical value being a product and witness of a specific time and era. It enables us to state, gain insight, and question certain socio-cultural or ideological/political developments, raising awareness, calling the world to a halt, and encouraging debate.
What are the 7 types of painting? ›- Realism. Realism is a painting art style that aims to give the viewer a reflection of the real world. ...
- Photorealism. You may also see photorealism referred to as hyperrealism or super-realism. ...
- Expressionism. ...
- Impressionism. ...
- Abstract. ...
- Surrealism. ...
- Pop Art. ...
- Oil.
The 7 basic elements of visual art are SHAPE, LINE, SPACE, FORM, TEXTURE, VALUE, AND COLOUR.
What are the seven 7 most common elements of art *? ›ELEMENTS OF ART: The visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value.
How will you describe the contemporary arts in the Philippines? ›Contemporary Philippine visual arts consist of indigenous art and studio art. The art throughout the regions is distinguished as a vast array of forms and styles, seeking inspiration from cultural or social issues, local customs or traditions, indigenous cultures, and established fine art forms.
How can you describe the characteristics of different contemporary art forms? ›This genre of art is believed to have started in the late 1960s by the end of modernism art era. Characteristics: The most prominent feature of contemporary art is the fact that it has no distinct feature or a single characteristic. It is defined by the artist's ability to innovate and bring out a modern masterpiece.
What is the study of fine arts? ›Fine Arts are the study of different art forms such as drawing, sculpture, painting, literature, music, dance, architecture, and theatre. Fine Arts Courses also cover other fields such as Photography, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Drawing, etc.
What are the characteristics of fine art? ›Fine art is defined as those art forms whose primary characteristic is beauty rather than practical use, for example, painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, artistic photographs. Fine art collectively is expressed by the heading Art.
What is the history of fine arts? ›
The History of Fine Art
Historically, fine art can be found from the Acheulian period of ancient art. Some notable artworks include proto-sculpture like a basaltic figurine of the Venus of Berekhat Ram (230,000-700,000 BCE) and a quartzite figurine of the Venus of Tan-Tan (200,000-500,000 BCE).
Learning through and about the arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school. Arts subjects encourage self-expression and creativity and can build confidence as well as a sense of individual identity.
Why art is important in your own words? ›Art can communicate information, shape our everyday lives, make a social statement and be enjoyed for aesthetic beauty.
What is art means to you? ›“Art can be anything; it can be an illustration, a painting, written or spoken word, music, a performance, or dance. Pieces of art range from the Van Gogh's paintings in museums, to a child's drawing pinned up with pride on a fridge. Art evokes emotions, whether they are happy or sad, disturbing or exciting.
What is the full meaning of art? ›: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects. the art of painting landscapes.
What is difference between contemporary art and fine art? ›We generally associate fine art with 19th century and earlier representational painting and sculpture; modern art with the mid-20th century; contemporary art with the last 50 years; and illustration with being an artisan.
What is contemporary arts in the Philippines? ›Contemporary Philippine visual arts consist of indigenous art and studio art. The art throughout the regions is distinguished as a vast array of forms and styles, seeking inspiration from cultural or social issues, local customs or traditions, indigenous cultures, and established fine art forms.
What is contemporary art and its characteristics? ›The work of contemporary artists is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenge traditional boundaries and defy easy definition. Diverse and eclectic, contemporary art is distinguished by the very lack of a uniform organizing principle, ideology, or -ism.
What are the 3 types of contemporary art? ›Four main types of contemporary art are abstract art, minimalist art, pop art, and surrealist art.
What is contemporary art example? ›The different types of contemporary art are painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, collage, digital art/collage, photography, video art, installation art, land art, (public) intervention art, and performance art.
Why is it important to study contemporary art of the Philippines? ›
Contemporary art is important due to its historical value being a product and witness of a specific time and era. It enables us to state, gain insight, and question certain socio-cultural or ideological/political developments, raising awareness, calling the world to a halt, and encouraging debate.
How will you describe the contemporary arts in the Philippines essay? ›Answer: The art of the Philippines can refer to the visual arts,performing arts, textile art traditions, literature,dance, pottery, and other art forms in the country. Philippine Contemporary Art was an offshoot of social realism brought about by Martial Law.
What is the importance of contemporary arts in the Philippines? ›Contemporary art is important in Filipino lives. Explanation: It is so important because every contemporary art reflects someone's feelings,ideas or perspectives. Through contemporary art,Filipinos can express themselves in a way that will be safely observable for others.It is a means of personal expression.
What is the most important characteristic of contemporary art essay? ›The most prominent feature of contemporary art is the fact that it has no distinct feature or a single characteristic. It is defined by the artist's ability to innovate and bring out a modern masterpiece.
What are the 4 contemporary arts? ›These contemporary art forms are as follows:
Painting. Sculpture. Literature. Architecture.
Contemporary art refers to art—namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art—produced today.
What are the five contemporary art elements? ›The traditional way of looking at art, namely the visual arts, suggests that there are five basic elements of an artwork – line, shape, color, texture and space.