Visual Arts
These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art, the latter a combination of multiple creative expressions. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple, utilitarian style of the Prairie School.
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Featured content, June 21, 2020
Returning to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
This week, one of the most eagerly awaited cinema experiences of the decade opens at movie theatres around the world—
Spotlight / Visual Arts

Street Photography: How a Single Camera Brought About a Genre
The invention of the Leica camera allowed photographers to move through the streets and capture moments that come and go...
Companion / Visual Arts

Walt Disney’s First Cartoon Critter Was Not Mickey Mouse
Before Mickey Mouse, there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
#WTFact / Visual Arts

Art market
Art market, physical or figurative venue in which art is bought and sold. At its most basic an art market requires a work...
Encyclopedia / Visual Arts

Oceanic art and architecture
Oceanic art and architecture, the visual art and architecture of native Oceania, including media such as sculpture, pottery,...
Encyclopedia / Visual Arts

Pop art
Pop art, art in which commonplace objects (such as comic strips, soup cans, road signs, and hamburgers) were used as subject...
Encyclopedia / Visual Arts

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Visual Arts
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Visual Arts Subcategories

Architecture is a sphere of art and design in which functionality and aesthetics can combine to produce visually stunning structures that manage to both catch the eye and serve a functional purpose. The expansive variety of architectural styles that have been employed throughout the ages underscores the fact that not every building need look the same, a principle that is readily apparent when comparing Gothic cathedrals with igloos or pagodas with cliff dwellings. Noted architects such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, I.M. Pei, Zaha Hadid, and Jeanne Gang are acclaimed not only for the striking aesthetics of their designs but also for the way in which their work reflected cultural themes and values. Although architecture is commonly associated first and foremost with the design and construction of buildings, landscape architects may work with gardens, parks, and other planned outdoor areas, aiding in the development and decorative planning of such spaces.
Articles
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Taj Mahal
mausoleum, Agra, India
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Taipei 101
building, Taipei, Taiwan
- African architecture

Awards such as the Praemium Imperiale and the Pritzker Prize honor artists for a job well done.
Articles
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Praemium Imperiale
international arts award
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Jnanpith Award
Indian literary award
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Frost Medal
American poetry award

People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. That’s where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
Articles
- Glassware
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Stagecraft
theatre
- Rug and carpet

Looking to make a statement without even saying a word? Fashion designers know that clothing and accessories can speak volumes about the wearer, affecting both how the wearer is perceived by others and how the wearer perceives of him- or herself. The fashion industry has become a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes; it thrives by being diverse and flexible enough to gratify any consumer's desire to embrace or even to reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.
Articles
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Vivienne Westwood
British fashion designer
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Karl Lagerfeld
German fashion designer and photographer
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Jean Paul Gaultier
French fashion designer

Calligraphy, graffiti, engraving, caricature: graphic art's domain stretches as far as the eye can see. Take a look at some of the other types of graphic art, and learn more about the artists working within this category of fine arts.
Articles
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Michelangelo
Italian artist
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Graphic design
art
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Diego Velázquez
Spanish painter

Learn about the artists who create installation art, which can incorporate a variety of different materials and artistic forms, such as sculptures, videos, and music, all with the purpose of transforming a given space. Performance artists may also make use of videos and music—as well as such varied elements as acting, poetry, dance, and painting—to create a live presentation for an audience; here, the "audience" could simply consist of onlookers on the street or patrons browsing the halls of a museum, among countless other possibilities.
Articles
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Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thai film director
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Christian Marclay
Swiss American artist and composer
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Francis Al?s
Belgian-born conceptual artist

Need help distinguishing your Picassos from your Monets? Learn about history’s celebrated painters and the different styles, techniques, mediums, and forms that have been used to create such unique visual images as Salvador Dalí’s melting clock and the ever-shifting eyes of Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa.
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Impressionism
art
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Surrealism
art and literature
- Painting

Photography’s history began long before we were snapping pictures on camera phones. Learn about the masters of the craft and explore the development of photographic technology as it progressed through daguerreotypes and tintypes on the way to modern day’s increasingly sophisticated digital cameras.
Articles
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Hannah H?ch
German artist
- Technology of photography
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Eugène Atget
French photographer

Looking to find a use for that extra clay, stone, plaster, or metal that you have lying around? Consider sculpture, in which artists employ these materials and others to create three-dimensional art. Perhaps you’ll join the ranks of noted sculptors such as Michelangelo, Auguste Rodin, and Donatello.
Articles
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Joseph Cornell
American sculptor and filmmaker
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Constantin Brancusi
Romanian-French sculptor
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Donatello
Italian sculptor