Visual Arts1

VISUAL ARTS
are art forms that create works that are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing,
painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, video, film making and
architecture. These definitions should not be taken too strictly as many artistic disciplines
(performing arts, conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects of the visual arts as well as arts of
other types. Also included within the visual arts are the applied arts such as industrial design,
graphic design, fashion design, interior design and decorative art.
The term art encompasses diverse media such
as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation.
The visual arts include mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, photography,
film, and printmaking. Many of these pieces of art are created to stimulate us through a visual
experience. When we look at them, they often provoke a feeling of some sort.
Within the visual arts is a category known as the decorative arts, or craft. This is art that is more
utilitarian and has a function but retains an artistic style and still requires talent to create. The
decorative arts include ceramics, furniture making, textiles, interior design, jewelry making,
metal crafting, and woodworking.
What Does Visual Art Include?
Definitions of visual art usually encompass the following:
1. Fine Arts
All fine art belongs to the general category of visual arts. These include activities such
as: Drawing, Painting, Printmaking and Sculpture, along with associated activities like Graphic art, Manuscript
Illumination, Book Illustration, Calligraphy and Architecture.
2. Contemporary Arts
The visual arts also include a number of modern art forms, such as: Assemblage, Collage, Mixed-
media, Conceptual Art, Installation, Happenings and Performance art, along with film-based disciplines such
as Photography, Video Art and Animation, or any combination thereof. This group of activities also includes high
tech disciplines like computer graphics and giclee prints. Another modern visual art, is the new environmental
or Land art, which also includes transitory forms like ice/snow sculpture, and (presumably) graffiti art.
3. Decorative Arts & Crafts

In addition, the general category of visual arts encompasses a number of decorative
art disciplines and crafts, including: ceramics and studio pottery, mosaic art, mobiles, tapestry,
glass art (including stained glass), and others.
4. Other
Wider definitions of visual art sometimes include applied art areas such as graphic design,
fashion design, and interior design. In addition, new types of Body art may also fall under the
general heading of visual arts. These include: tatto art, face painting, and body painting.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL ART

Visual Art is everywhere. You may not know it but visual art is the means we communicate, it
is in the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the road you pass on, the car you ride on, the website
you navigate, the store you buy from, and practically anywhere you set your eyes on.
Why so? Visual Art is an art form primarily perceived by the eye. Usually seen in painting,
photography, printmaking, and even film making. Many people have different definition of the
visual arts. But to put it simpler, visual art takes nature and the man’s ability to capture the
moment to a piece of paper so that other people may take time appreciating the captured image.
Visual art is a fundamental component of the human experience reflecting the world and the time
in which we live. Art can help us understand our history, our culture, our lives, and the
experience of others in a manner that cannot be achieved through other means. It can also be a
source of inspiration, reflection, and joy.
Imagine a world without art. No music, no movies, no paintings, no drawings, no designs,
and etc. The world will be a very dull place to live in. Perhaps the only thing you would be
seeing is black and white. No laughter, no smiles, practically no emotions at all.
Visual art is life in itself. The way we perceive the world and how we appreciate it. That is art
and we actually live with it everyday. Art is an outlet of our inner self. A bridge that brings
together gaps in our society, it is a bridge between man and nature, between countries, and
continents.
The Role of Visual Artists in Society

Cross-Cultural Understanding
Art can have amazing power to foster collaboration between different societies. For example,
cooperation between artists from conflicting peoples or touring art shows that bring real-world
issues to distant populations are essential to raising levels of understanding between cultures.
For example, famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero's paintings have depicted reported
abuse in the Abu Ghraib prison during the recent Iraq War, bringing more attention to the
plight of the Iraqi people. Art is powerful in its simplicity; it can convey ideas across classes
and cultures due to its lack of reliance on language or written language. This makes it one of
the most powerful tools of communication.
Enhancing Community Engagement

Art can be a powerful way to bring communities together. In fact, research from the University
of Pennsylvania proves that a greater focus on the arts in a city creates social cohesion, better
civic engagement and improved child welfare, and it also decreases poverty. Creation of
community art helps citizens to work together to create shared visions of their ideals, values
and hopes for the future. Teams can work together to create murals that celebrate the area's
history or achievements, with help from a muralist. In Baltimore, teams created maps using
paint and GPS to explore their experience of living in the city, which helped build community
knowledge and foster connectivity. The sky's the limit when it comes to how citizens can come
together using the medium of art of foster greater involvement with society.
Documenting History
Art is an important way to document our collective present so that future generations may have
greater understanding of our ways of thinking, values and more. For example, Taiwan initiated
the Community Construction Movement in 1995. This long-term project aims to invigorate
local communities by establishing 25 museums that focus on Taiwan’s indigenous groups.
These centers are crucial to building a collective Taiwanese memory of these important
minorities. Closer to home, Norman Rockwell's iconic paintings are an enduring window into
the lives of ordinary people in the 20th century. Reaching further back into time, the cave
paintings of prehistoric paintings provide one of the last few glimpses into how these people
lived and their religious and moral values. Art is a deceptively simple way to access cultures
that might otherwise be forgotten.
Finding Creative Solutions To Social Issues

Art has long been a tool of protest and an inciter of social change. For example, popular street
artist Banksy has tirelessly plastered his images in many of the world's major cities in an effort
to draw attention to environmental issues and poverty. He even painted a series of whimsical
images on Israel's Western Wall, the division intended to keep out suicide bombers, provoking
a discussion on Israeli/Palestinian politics. Art also has the capacity to heal, as therapeutic art
is now commonly used to alleviate psychological trauma.
https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/what-is-visual-art/#:~:text=The%20visual%20arts%20are
%20art,video%2C%20film%20making%20and%20architecture.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-visual-arts-182706
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/definitions/visual-art.htm
https://nmaahc.si.edu/importance-visual-art-nmaahc#:~:text=Visual%20art%20is%20a
%20fundamental,be%20achieved%20through%20other%20means.
http://rothsociety.org/the-importance-of-visual-art.htm
https://work.chron.com/role-visual-artists-society-22517.html

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VISUAL ARTS

What Does Visual Art Include?

Definitions of visual art usually encompass the following:

3. Decorative Arts & Crafts

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL ART

The Role of Visual Artists in Society

Enhancing Community Engagement

Finding Creative Solutions To Social Issues

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