art, a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. Thetermartencompassesdiverse media such aspainting,sculpture,printmaking,drawing,decorative arts,photography, and installation.

(Read Sister Wendy’s Britannica essay on art appreciation.)

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The various visual arts exist within acontinuum that ranges from purelyaesthetic purposes at one end to purely utilitarian purposes at the other. Such a polarity of purpose is reflected in the commonly used termsartist andartisan, the latter understood as one who gives considerable attention to the utilitarian. This should by no means be taken as a rigid scheme, however. Even within one form of art, motives may vary widely; thus a potter or a weaver may create a highly functional work that is at the same time beautiful—a salad bowl, for example, or a blanket—or may create works that have no purpose beyond being admired. Incultures such as those of Africa and Oceania, a definition of art that encompasses this continuum has existed for centuries. In the West, however, by the mid-18th century the development of academies for painting and sculpture established a sense that these media were “art” and therefore separate from more utilitarian media. This separation of art forms continued among art institutions until the late 20th century, when such rigid distinctions began to be questioned.

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Particularly in the 20th century, a different sort of debate arose over the definition ofart. Aseminal moment in this discussion occurred in 1917, whenDada artistMarcel Duchamp submitted aporcelain urinal entitledFountain to a public exhibition inNew York City. Through this act, Duchamp put forth a new definition of whatconstitutes a work of art: he implied that it is enough for an artist to deem something “art” and put it in a publicly acceptedvenue.Implicit within this gesture was a challenge to the established art institutions—such as museums, exhibiting groups, and galleries—that have the power to determine what is and is not considered art. Suchintellectual experimentation continued throughout the 20th century in movements such asconceptual art andminimalism. By the turn of the 21st century, a variety of new media (e.g.,video art) further challenged traditional definitions of art.

Art is treated in a number of articles. For general discussions of the foundations, principles, practice, and character of art,seeaesthetics.See alsoart conservation and restoration.

For the technical and theoretical aspects of traditional categories of art,seedrawing;painting;printmaking;sculpture. For technical and historical discussions of decorative arts and furnishings,seebasketry;enamelwork;floral decoration;furniture;glassware;interior design;lacquerwork;metalwork;mosaic;pottery;rug and carpet;stained glass;tapestry.Seephotography for a complete history of that medium.

Fortreatments of the various arts as practiced by specific peoples and cultures,see, for example,African art;Central Asian arts;Egyptian art and architecture;Islamic arts;Oceanic art and architecture;South Asian arts.

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