Can you imagine life here on earth without aesthetic imagery, beautiful buildings and architectures, paintings, movies, and other forms of art? Many people can’t because for most, art adds beauty to life, especially at times when life feels ugly. One of the most common forms of art that people love is visual arts. Visual arts is something that everyone has heard about, but not everyone is familiar with what the discipline really is. So, if you’re confused about the subject, this article will help you get familiarized with the basic things to know about visual arts by asking the question, “what is visual arts?”
For many, visual arts are painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography. While it is true to some extent, it is actually so much more than that as the term encompasses a wide variety of art forms which will be discussed in this article later on. If you wanna know the different forms of this discipline, keep on reading to find out more!
Visual arts evokes your eyes and fills them with different emotions and sensations that will lead you to new discoveries, ideas, and inspiration. It is a broad discipline that includes a wide array of artistic expression. Everyone is familiar with the fact that painting, sculpting, photography, film making, printmaking, arts and crafts, as well as architecture fall within the ambit of this discipline. These days, this discipline also includes the art of fashion design, interior design, graphic art, and decorative art. Thus, it is one of the earliest art forms ever known to man, some of which are still preserved dating back to 40,000 years ago which can be seen in different caves all over the world. They mean so much to many people because these all contribute to the beauty of life and it’s a representation of nature and human beings.
Different Types of Visual Arts
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Painting:
This art form is the application of pigments using a wet medium of choice– either acrylic paint, oils, watercolor, gouache, encaustic, pastel, etc. on a surface, usually a canvas, wood, or high quality paper. Materials used for this art form other than the medium and surface of choice are paint brushes, sponges, palette knives, artist’s palette, and other materials (conventional or not) that may be useful for the painting process. Other than the materials, painters also use self-expression, feelings, emotions, and certain aesthetic qualities to make a form of visual language in a two-dimensional way. The two basic categories of painting are objective (non-abstract art such as Impressionism) and non-objective (abstract art).
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Drawing or sketching:
The art of drawing or sketching uses materials such as pencils, charcoal, pens, and markers and implies lines and certain techniques such as lining, shading, scribbling, blending, shading, and random hatching as a means of producing quality illustrations and images on a paper or other surface) that can either be two-dimensional or three-dimensional in nature. For many, drawing or sketching is a fundamental art form in the discipline of visual arts because it is a preparatory stage for painting, as shown from most masters like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sandro Boticelli.
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Sculpture:
This artistic form is an aesthetic expression of human qualities and nature through the creation of a three-dimensional work of art made by shaping or materials most typically stone (either rock or marble), clay, metal, glass, or wood. Sculptures are either carved directly or constructed, pieced together through molding, casting, or welding of the materials together.
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Photography:
Since the invention of cameras and the birth of the photography movement during the 1839 up until the last century, there has been a heated debate on whether photography is considered an art form or if it’s simply a representation of reality to document events. However, human creativity proved that photography is indeed an art form. Photography is considered to be a close relative of painting as it captures nature and human experience. It is a language that employs visual features instead of words; as such, it may be utilized for aesthetic reasons, just like any other artistic language.
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Architecture:
Architecture is the art of styling, designing, and building– and not just a mere construction of houses or buildings. Though most of the architecture in the world prioritizes utility above beauty, excellent architecture combines the two to create environments that are not only functional but also aesthetically beautiful. Architecture is used to meet both functional and creative needs, and therefore it serves both utilitarian and artistic purposes. Moreover, good architecture must also satisfy the basic needs of a useful, safe structure which makes the practical art that gives the architects a task to meet expectations which will not only satisfy the eyes, but also safety codes.
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Printmaking:
Printmaking is the process of generating an image on a matrix for aesthetic purposes, which is subsequently transferred to a two-dimensional (flat) surface using ink (or another form of pigmentation). Except for the monotype prints, the same framework can be utilized to create a large number of prints. This art form was significant in the history of art because it allowed artists to convey their art more to the audience, by making art more accessible because it provided a means to reproduce the artworks efficiently rather than recreating them from the start.
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Digital art:
Digital art is a relatively new kind of art that is made or exhibited with the use of computer-generated elements. Harol Cohen, an innovator, created the first sample of digital art in the 1980s through the use of a computer-engineered paint application. Nowadays, most digital art can be created, scanned, or sketched using a tablet, computer, laptop, or even a smartphone. This latest innovation of art thanks to the fast pace of technology allows us to create stunning artworks without the expense, space, and messiness that most traditional art forms like oil painting and sculpting require.
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Fashion design:
Fashion is more than wearing clothes. It is an expression of a person’s creativity and emotions. Fashion has seldom been raised to the same level as paintings, literature, sculpture, or music in the past. However, it is actually one of the purest representations of art since it is art that lives among humans on a daily basis— you can see it everywhere, not just on the runway but also on the streets. The way one wears clothes may portray several elements of one's personality in the field of fashion design and style. People frequently strive to show themselves via their attire and jewelry. Fashion stylists and designers are artists who use fabric and their imagination to assemble outfits together and your body is considered a canvas on which you can creatively express yourself through various colors and clothes.
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Interior design:
This visual and applied art form is more than just enhancing the appearance of a house or the inside of a building. It necessitates an understanding of aesthetics as well as a high degree of inventiveness. Interior design is functional art, a sort of art that benefits everyone daily. The combination of different components, as well as elements of art and principles of design such as colors, patterns, textures, harmony, ratio, and space must be in perfect balance when combined to achieve beauty and function that meets more than just the eye.
