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Artwork – All You Want to Know About It

artist palette with colourful paints

Compiled by Artworksg

Table of Contents

What is Artwork ? How it is Made?

An artwork is a piece of art object of artistic value. 

The word art derives from the Latin “ars” (stem art-), which means ability or skill and it covers areas of artistic creativity that seek to communicate beauty primarily through the senses.

A work of art is a record of a particular artist’s view which shows something that he has seen, felt and thought. Artwork recorded these senses as an arrangement of designs, colours, lines and tones.  

An artwork exhibits the artist’s unique personality which influenced unconsciously by factors such as his environment, his ideals, traditions, national traits, religious beliefs, economic conditions or even the climate or geography.

The creative process behind the creation of artwork involves various forms and styles.

The Different Forms of Artwork

different forms of art. Visual, plastic, performance, applied art

Visual Art

It refers to a piece of work that is created by an artist to be appreciated by sight and it reflects or communicates a message to its audience. For example, a Painting can be considered a visual art because it conveys a certain message about a specific person, place, or theme. This form of artwork is typically performed with a degree of skill and is appreciated by its audience.

Plastic Art

It refers to art forms which are molded into 3-diemensional works such as sculpture or ceramics. Materials use in the plastic arts include those that can be carved or shaped, such as clay, plaster, stone, wood, concrete, glass, or metal.

The term “plastic” has been used to mean certain synthetic organic resins ever since they were invented, but the term “plastic arts” long preceded them. The oldest known plastic art date to 30,000–34,000 bp.

Performance Art

It is an exhibition created through actions by artists or other participants, presented to a public also known as artistic action. It has been developed through the years as a genre of its own in which art is presented live.

Applied Art

It is that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects to make them aesthetically pleasing. Examples are Architecture, Calligraphy, Fashion design, Industrial design.

The Different Styles of Art Painting

different styles of painting art

Throughout history, artists have produced art in a variety of media and styles and genres following different philosophies and ideals. Different artistic tendencies or styles can be grouped in collective titles known as art movements

Art movements tell us the interesting stories of why and how art style evolves since the ancient times. Art movements were especially important in modern art, when each consecutive movement was considered a new avant-garde movement, as it pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm.

Modern Art & Contemporary Art

Which one is more recent?

Modern Art

It includes artworks produced in the 1860s to 1970s, during the period of the Industrial Revolution.

With the advent of photography, artists no longer saw the necessity to make art for the sake of portraying reality exclusively. Many artists therefore began experimenting with colour, form, shape, abstraction, different mediums, and different techniques. Modern art was a major diversion from techniques of the past. 

Some representative modern art paintings are shown below.

Modern Art Paintings

Contemporary Art 

It is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world.

Contemporary art is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family, community, and nationality. 

Unlike modern art, contemporary art has some social impact. Moreover, contemporary artists had significant freedom and liberty to experiment with all styles. Modern artists tend to find the pure idea of art. Contemporary artists are very liberal in their attitudes, and they are least concerned about purity in art.

Examples of contemporary paintings by local artists from E & Lai Art Gallery.

Contemporary art paintings
different painting techniques

Oil Painting

It’s a process of painting with pigments that get mixed with a layer of drying oil, such as linseed oil, which was widely used in modern European era.

Watercolour Painting

This is a method where colours and water are blended in order to produce a unique style of painting by artists.

Most of the watercolour paintings are made upon papers. It can be made upon other supports as well as papyrus, bark papers, plastics, leather, and wood.

Acrylic Painting

It is a type of artwork where acrylic colors are used which have a distinctive feature of drying fast on the applied medium.

It consists of pigments suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion.

Pencil Sketch

It is the art of creating highly defined artwork using an instrument consisting of graphite enclosed in a cylindrical wooden chamber of different grades.

The cylindrical graphite medium or a pencil is used because of its efficiency and simplicity in executing various deeply thought portraits, graphite having the ability to be smudged on paper gives the higher potential to the beautification process.

Gouache Painting

It is an innovative method which includes paint consisting of natural pigment, water or any binding agent (gum arabic or dextrin) and also an inert material.

The water-based pigments are used in which the particle sizes are larger than the watercolour ones. The colors are beautifully pitched against each other to add extra beauty to the art. This type of painting is rare and often looks realistic.

Gouache is like watercolor and can be re-wetted and usually gets infused with the paper medium.

Digital Painting

It is a form of digitized creative artworks which are done on computers to give the same visual effect as that of oil painting, acrylic or watercolours.

Rectification can be easily done and it does not need to be concerned about the drying time.

Digital painting is quite common nowadays and brings art to daily life.

Why Is Visual Art Important ?

why is art important

According to Ashford University, our brain undergoes changes when interacting with art. 

Everyone’s reaction to art may be different, but its ability to impact us is unquestioned. Both viewing and making art can make positive impacts on your brain.

The Science of Art

Looking at Art Can Help Your Brain

A painting of a person is not a real person. And yet, our brains can immediately recognize the paint on a canvas, that made up with meticulous lines and shading, is representing a human being.

Beyond the skill of making sense of what we are seeing, the brain goes through changes when we look at a beautiful art piece. Looking at a gorgeous artwork will increase blood flow to the brain by as much as 10%, it is equivalent to looking at someone you love. And, this visual stimulus is only the first part.

Next, understanding how to look at art lets you make the most out of the experience by keeping your brain active and involved. The more time you spend analyzing and discussing a piece of art, the more you can stimulate both unconscious and conscious brain functions. Doing so can increase your analytical and problem-solving skills in everyday life. 

Art stimulus is also beneficial to dementia patients.

Benefits of Art in Hospital

“A patient’s stay in hospital is shortened when art is part of their care. Art is highly effective in easing anxiety and depression.” – Paintings in Hospitals.

Studies show that art can help us stay well, aid our recovery from illness and injury, and support us to live longer, more fulfilling lives. 

Art is proven to improve health and well-being.

Benefits of Art in the Home

The real benefits go beyond the surface of just adding decoration or bringing colour into the living room. 

Art lets you express yourself and encourages dialogue.

When you love a piece enough to hang it on your wall, that story speaks volumes about you. Whether it is your personality or what you value in life, art can be the perfect translator. This lets you forge deeper connections with those who come into your home.

Art breathes life into a home.

Your home is “your place,” and that is why decorating it to your liking is so important. You need to feel comfortable in your space! And, surrounding yourself with art you love will help you enjoy where you spend most of your time.

Art helps us memorize and recognize our emotion.

Whether it is a memory or a feeling, a piece of art can evoke powerful emotions when we can associate with it.

Benefits of Art in Workplace

According to a research by Viking, more than half or 53% of workers said having art in the office makes them happier. 

According to the respondents in the survey, they also believe it positively affects new clients and potential employees. Almost half or 49% said artwork does give a good impression.

When it comes to the type of artwork, 30% said they prefer paintings in their office. This was followed by 24% who want to see contemporary art and an equal number also said coastal scenes.

Discover the transformative powers of art for yourself. Take a break and immerse yourself in an online Art Gallery!

Art Appreciation

art appreciation

The entire aesthetic of art relies on three substantial ideals: beauty, harmony, and proportion.

The Greeks worshiped human beauty, and they achieved this idea in their works of art by applying the golden ratio, which strictly defined the proportion of body parts. Classical artists were also mastering of intricately depicted anatomical details. Many embraced these ideas during the Italian Renaissance, which is the most flourishing periods in art history.

Aesthetics have changed throughout history, allowing artists to invent new genres that would express their unique artistic voice more accurately. The innovative genres for the ever-evolving art market have embarked the Modern and Contemporary art periods.

Understand the history and art movements will allow us to appreciate art at a deeper level and enjoy them more. 

Appreciate the Famous Paintings in the Art History

With the knowledge gained above, let us view some of the famous paintings of all time by the renowned artists.

And, discover the deep meaning for these famous artworks!

Hope you have enjoyed this article and find it fruitful. Do visit the art galleries frequent to enjoy the paintings and stimulate your brain!

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