Work of art
A work of art, artwork,[1] art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature and music, these terms apply principally to tangible, physical forms of visual art:
- An example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture.
- Objects in the ceramics and much folk art.
- An object created for principally or entirely functional, religious or other non-aesthetic reasons which has come to be appreciated as art (often later, or by cultural outsiders).
- A non-ephemeral photograph or film.
- A work of installation art or conceptual art.
Used more broadly, the term is less commonly applied to:
- A fine work of architecture or landscape design
- A production of live , and other ephemeral, non-tangible creations.
This article is concerned with the terms and concepts as used in and applied to the visual arts, although other fields such as
Definition
A work of art in the visual arts is a physical two- or three- dimensional object that is professionally determined or otherwise considered to fulfill a primarily independent
Physical objects that document immaterial or conceptual art works, but do not conform to artistic conventions, can be redefined and reclassified as art objects. Some Dada and Neo-Dada conceptual and readymade works have received later inclusion. Also, some architectural renderings and models of unbuilt projects, such as by Vitruvius, Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Frank Gehry, are other examples.
The products of environmental design, depending on intention and execution, can be "works of art" and include: land art, site-specific art, architecture, gardens, landscape architecture, installation art, rock art, and megalithic monuments.
Legal definitions of "work of art" are used in copyright law; see Visual arts § United States of America copyright definition of visual art.
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Theories
Theorists have argued that objects and people do not have a constant meaning, but their meanings are fashioned by humans in the context of their culture, as they have the ability to make things mean or signify something.[5] A prime example of this theory are the Readymades of Marcel Duchamp. Marcel Duchamp criticized the idea that the work of art must be a unique product of an artist's labour or skill through his "readymades": "mass-produced, commercially available, often utilitarian objects" to which he gave titles, designating them as artwork only through these processes of choosing and naming.[6]
Artist Michael Craig-Martin, creator of An Oak Tree, said of his work – "It's not a symbol. I have changed the physical substance of the glass of water into that of an oak tree. I didn't change its appearance. The actual oak tree is physically present, but in the form of a glass of water."[7]
Distinctions
Some
Research suggests that presenting an artwork in a museum context can affect the perception of it.[10]
There is an indefinite distinction, for current or historical aesthetic items: between "
See also
- Anti-art
- Artistic media
- Cultural artifact
- Opus number (used in music)
- Outline of aesthetics
- "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"
- Western canon
References
- ^ Mostly in American English
- ^ Oeuvre Merriam Webster Dictionary, Accessed April 2011
- ISBN 0-19-828014-9. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ISBN 1-4051-0839-8. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Hall, S (ed.) 1997, Cultural Representations and Signifying Practice, Open University Press, London, 1997.
- ^ MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art. "Marcel Duchamp and the Readymade". MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ "There's No Need to be Afraid of the Present", The Independent, 25 Jun 2001
- ^ "FTC Wins $2.3 Million Judgment Against Gallery Owner In Phony Art Scam" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission. August 11, 1995. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
- ^ "Rembrandt Research Project - Home". rembrandtresearchproject.org.
- S2CID 150115587.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-521-29706-0. The classic philosophical enquiry into what a work of art is.
External links
- Media related to Art works at Wikimedia Commons