Art is basically a broad spectrum of human activities which involve artistic creativity and an attempt to express aesthetic beauty, strength, emotional energy, or other motivational ideas. In recent years, art has become more widely accepted by the public due to the influence of the visual media. Visual art comprises of diverse art forms such as paintings, sculpture, photographic art, performance art, and music. Since the visual media make available information about the world around us in a visual format, art forms are able to penetrate our culture much more readily than other mediums. This has led to increased acceptance of art across different societal barriers such as class, gender, and cultural identity. There have also been positive changes in attitudes towards art among the younger generations with some people comparing contemporary art to art of the past.
Aesthetics are discussed extensively in academic works, but most discussions of aesthetics neglect the importance of the aesthetic experience. The experience of aesthetic beauty focuses on how beauty is experienced rather than what is seen. It may focus on appearance, but its emphasis is almost always emotional. What we typically mean when we speak of beauty is that it is the experience of finding beauty in something, whether it be in a visual sense, a musical one, a color, a shape, or an idea. Beauty then is not reductive, as it often is construed, but includes multiple elements that often represent and interact with one another, producing a unique aesthetic experience.
Just as aesthetics is an experience, so too is art. However, unlike aesthetics, art involves a variety of chosen mediums that create the necessary aesthetic experience, which then allows for appreciation and further appreciation of art. Appreciation of art depends upon an understanding of the different ways in which beauty is experienced and evaluated, including an appreciation of the elements of composition, form, and color.
The five key terms commonly used to describe art are art, aesthetic, representation, practice, and reaction. In addition, there are many different ways to classify art, including organizational systems, subjectivity, and power. There are also several different approaches to the definition of art. These include monistic art, nominalism, cubism, and formalism. The differences among these different approaches to art highlight both its diversity and its fundamental qualities.
The concept of beauty encompasses a range of individual experiences and expectations. People who see the same artwork, hear the same music, or view the same painting may have very different views of beauty. The primary objective of art appreciation therefore, is to discover the subjective nature of beauty. Art appreciation is also meant to develop and enhance an appreciation of the work of others.
As stated previously, aesthetics considers the elements of composition, form, and color in a painting or other artistic production. However, aesthetics also includes a variety of other factors, such as the ability to appreciate art, interpret the work of others, and apply general concepts of aesthetics to personal aesthetic experiences. When a person has developed his/her capacity to appreciate art, he/she can then begin to develop an ability to make aesthetic judgments about the totality of his/her environment and create a personal aesthetic experience.