Art in Focus

Chapter 1: Art and You

Lesson Summaries-English

          The arts are present in virtually every society, adding a sense of pleasure to life. They serve as the language of civilization.

Lesson 1
Exploring Art

          All humans have a desire to create, perform, and appreciate works of art. To understand why, it is important to arrive at definitions for art and the visual arts. Art is a form of communication. Each work of visual art is a unique expression of ideas, beliefs, experiences, and feelings, presented in a well-designed visual form.

          Visual art can be divided into two primary forms—fine arts and applied arts. The term fine arts refers to works that have no practical function but are valued for the visual pleasure they provide or their success in expression. The term applied arts refers to works that are functional but also pleasing to the eye.

          Cultures create art for many reasons. Some create for aesthetics, that is, for art’s visual appeal, or to express morals and ethics. Others create to express spirituality, document history, or persuade others toward certain political beliefs. You can use art to express your personal ideas and feelings.

          In order to create successful artworks, you will have to make decisions regarding medium and technique, as well as the types of colors, shapes, lines, and textures that you will use. To examine a work of art critically, you also must make certain decisions about it. Almost every community offers opportunities to view and learn about art. Museums identify and display artworks from their permanent collections or in special exhibits. Libraries and the Internet also provide many resources on art.

Lesson 2
Understanding Art

          Creating a successful work of art and understanding a work of art by another artist both require preparation. This book will help you develop skills to judge works of art, first by teaching you the vocabulary of art. It will also teach you about different art media, or the materials used by artists to create art, and art processes, the actions taken by artists when creating. You will also learn about aesthetics, art’s visual appeal, which identifies the criteria, the standards used to make judgments about works of art. You will understand how to make judgments to determine whether a work of art is successful. Then you will learn about art criticism, to help you look at and talk about works of art based on the information provided with the art. Finally, by studying art history, you will learn how to find out more about works of art. Studying artworks from the past can help you understand the art of the present.

          Both art criticism and art history follow basic operations. You can make a final judgment about any artwork by combining these operations. Studying art will help you better understand yourself and those around you, and help keep your culture alive. You will have the same creative experience as the artists you read about by completing your own artworks through the studio exercises in this book. If you are interested in a career in art, the Careers in Art handbook will familiarize you with the possibilities.

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