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Essay on The History of Art
Art is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form. The word art can refer to the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, decorative arts, crafts, and other visual works that combine materials or forms. We also use the word art in a more general sense to encompass other forms of creative activity, such as dance and music, or even to describe skill in almost any activity, such as “the art of bread making” or “the art of travel.” In this article art refers to the visual arts. The visual arts have traditionally consisted of painting and sculpture. Architecture is sometimes included as well. During the 20th century, however, the term came to encompass photography, decorative arts, and crafts. Some forms of visual art, such as performance art and conceptual art, are difficult to categorize even within the broader definition.
A definition of art that seems correct to many Americans in the 21st century is likely to differ greatly from definitions of art in non-Western cultures, in tribal societies, and in other historical periods. Our rather open-ended definition may even sound strange to those in contemporary Western society who expect art to be limited to familiar categories such as painting and sculpture. 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 organization. These art objects may even be indistinguishable from consumer products. Conceptual artist Jeff Koons, for example, assembles sculpture from commercially manufactured products such as vacuum cleaners and lawn ornaments. In addition, during the last quarter of the 20th century, critics and art historians considered many more types of objects as art......
