We explain what the visual arts are and what their origin is. Also, the types that exist and what their main characteristics are.
What are the visual arts?
The visual arts are the set of artistic expressions that are appreciated mainly with sight: from traditional plastic arts (painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving, etc.) to recent trends that emerged from the industrial and technological revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries: photography, urban art, video art or digital art, to name a few.
The term “visual arts” was initially used to group artistic expressions that required the viewer's visual attention. Nowadays it has extended to demonstrations that can also involve other senses or cross paths with other disciplines, as in the cases of performance or video art.
The concept of “visual arts” comes from an idea by the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), who proposed several forms of classification of the arts. According to his relationship with the senses, Kant spoke of visual arts or bildenden kunstea concept formed by the noun bildwhich in German means “image” and refers to creation based on visual representation.
- See also: Plastic arts
Classification of visual arts
The visual arts are numerous and are constantly evolving. The main ones are:
Paint
Painting is the discipline of applying pigments to a surface to create images through shapes, colors and textures. The color substances used to paint and the support where the pictorial composition is made are also given that name.
- Painting
Sculpture
Sculpture is the creation of three-dimensional forms from action on materials. These can be very diverse and include wood, stone, metal, resin, plastic, etc.
The sculptures are created using various techniques such as modeling, carving, casting, assembly, welding and 3D or computer printing.
- Sculpture
Architecture
Architecture consists of the design and construction of buildings or spaces. It coordinates functional and technical elements with aesthetic criteria to conceive environments that harmoniously adapt to human needs and activities.
- Architecture
Photograph
Photography is the process of capturing light with various materials, techniques and procedures to create a permanent image. It is done by using a light-sensitive device, which can be a film or a digital sensor.
- Photography
Video art
Video art is a form of expression that uses technologies for capturing and reproducing moving images for artistic purposes. This discipline appeared at the end of the 60s and has had a very important impact on contemporary art.
Facility
An installation consists of the creation or use of elements to artistically intervene in space. Installations can be temporary or permanent and located in public spaces or exhibition areas, such as museums and art galleries.
Performance
Performance or action art is an expressive form that involves the live action of the artist in front of the public. It was born as an overflow of traditional arts (performing and plastic) and has been fundamental for contemporary art since its introduction by the avant-garde in the 20th century.
digital art
It is an artistic discipline that involves the use of information technologies in the production or exhibition process of the work. It emerged at the end of the 20th century with the appearance of computers and encompasses a large number of manifestations, among which are net.art (created especially for the Internet), generative art (generated autonomously by algorithms and software) , multimedia installations or digital painting.
- It may help you: Work of art
Characteristics of the visual arts
The visual arts have the following characteristics in common:
- Line. It is defined as a succession of points and is the basic element from which all visual creation starts. It is used to outline shapes or suggest perspective.
- Color. It is the impression generated in the eye by the effect of light on shapes. Its basic properties are saturation, hue and brightness. Art not only reproduces the perception of light, it also transmits emotions or ideas.
- Shape. They are the contours of an object, organized in such a way that they allow a figure, a composition or a symbol to be perceived.
- Space. It can be represented two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally using compositional elements (line, color, dimensions, perspective) or used in the physical world, as part of the work.
- Texture. It corresponds to the irregularities of a surface. In the visual arts it has a complex use, since it can not only be represented, but also used as a plastic medium.
History of visual arts
The visual arts are almost as old as his own Homo sapiens. Painting and drawing accompanied the first steps of human beings and the first sculptures and engravings appeared about 30 thousand years ago.
Successive technological developments and cultural transformations generated paradigm shifts that gave rise to other visual arts such as photography, cinema and, more recently, video art, net.art (art based on the use of the Internet), Land Art (art in open natural spaces), the Happening (artistic interventions in unexpected areas), the performance (action performed live), installations (works of various objects distributed in space), and others.
The history of the visual arts is the history of the way of perceiving beauty with the eyes. In our era, beauty is understood as a sensation that is experienced in the visual encounter with the work and can awaken new meanings, thoughts or ideas.
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References
- Visual Arts Portal. (sf). Retrieved March 2024, from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/
- Guelton, B. (2009). The visual arts, the web and the fiction. Sorbonne Publications.
