FREE online courses on the Art Appreciation Basics - What Makes Something a Work of Art

 

What is art? Many pages have been written in an effort to answer this question and many discussions inevitably arise when the topic is tossed into a crowd. You've probably heard the saying, "One picture is worth more than a thousand words" - I happen to think that this old Chinese proverb pretty much hits the nail on the head. Art is a way of telling a story, sharing a point of view or expressing an idea or feeling. Simply put, art is a form of communication that goes beyond language. You don't need to know how to speak Italian to look at a Leonardo Da Vinci painting, nor do you need to understand French to look at a Henri Matisse sculpture.

 

It's important to note that when an artist creates a painting or a sculpture, he or she is selecting from literally thousands of possible ideas or objects to create on canvas, in clay or on wood. Likewise, how an artist interprets the subject he/she is depicting, varies greatly.