by Michelle Nash

Created on: October 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 21, 2008

Man has had the need to express himself through methods outside of himself dating back for centuries; from the first Egyptian Hieroglyphics to the Greek Sculptures of the Ancient God Athena to Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. The world renowned picture of a nude man spread eagle with another picture of that same man superimposed over him. But what makes this important? Why is it significant to human existence and our everyday lives? What is Art? How do we define it? Simply, what makes Art.Art?

Some people believe that art encourages us to view the world through different and unique ways. It lets us experience something familiar in a whole new light. Art invokes deep emotions while creating a connection between the viewer and the canvas. It encourages introspection, hope and a spiritual connection to the world around us. But what does all this mean? How can we appreciate what the artist is trying to say through his brush strokes or in her sculptures?

The basic structure to remember about all art is that it consists of "form" and "content." Now what does that mean? If the artist used oil paint and a piece of cloth for his canvas these are the materials he chose to compose his picture with. Now the artist may use all dark blue colors or sharp angles in his picture, this is known as the elements of art. Then of course he may use the basic principles of design that refers to the entire composition of the piece. When you put all of this together; physical materials, elements of art and the principles of design you have what is known as form. If you understand the concept of form you can apply it to any painting the world over.

Now imagine that you are walking through an Art Museum and you see a painting of a bowl of fruit. The fruit is represented in bold and bright colors; the apple is so red and looks so real you feel as though you can take a bite of it. The grapes are purple and juicy and the pear seems sweet and tart. You're ready to make a fruit salad right there in the gallery! Well that experience is exactly the one that the artist wanted you to have when he painted that bowl of delicious fruit. And that is content. The formal definition of content as it applies to understanding art consists of three main ideas. One, did we react to the intended message of the painting? Two, what did the artist mean to portray? Third, what did the artist actually portray? The painting of the bowl of fruit happens to include all of the elements of content.

Of course not all paintings

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>