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. 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.
Browse Subcategories
Featured content, September 25, 2022
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...
7 Paintings You Have to See at the Art Institute of Chicago
Learn before you look.
What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art?
Is that odd installation piece that rains on you when you get near it modern or contemporary art? Here are some tips on how...
The Most Stolen Work of Art
Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece has been stolen by Napoleon and Hitler, among others.
garden and landscape design
garden and landscape design, the development and decorative planting of gardens, yards, grounds, parks, and other types of...
Baroque art and architecture
Baroque art and architecture, the visual arts and building design and construction produced during the era in the history...
Early Netherlandish art
Early Netherlandish art, sculpture, painting, architecture, and other visual arts created in the several domains that in...
abstract art
abstract art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays little or...
Visual Arts Quizzes
Visual Arts Videos
Image Gallery
Visual Arts
View Gallery
Visual Arts Subcategories
Architecture
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. 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
-
Le Corbusier
Swiss architect
- African architecture
-
Vesnin brothers
Russian architects
Arts Awards
Awards such as the Praemium Imperiale and the Pritzker Prize honor artists for a job well done.
Articles
-
Bollingen Prize
American literature prize
- Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
-
Turner Prize
British arts award
Decorative Art
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
-
stagecraft
theatre
-
Charles Eames and Ray Eames
American designers
- pottery
Fashion Design
Looking to make a statement without ever 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 reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.
Articles
-
Vivienne Westwood
British fashion designer
-
Hubert de Givenchy
French fashion designer
-
Jean Paul Gaultier
French fashion designer
Graphic Art
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
-
caricature and cartoon
graphic arts
-
Edgar Degas
French artist
-
Leonardo da Vinci
Italian artist, engineer, and scientist
Installation & Performance Art
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 consist of onlookers on the street or patrons browsing the halls of a museum, among countless other possibilities.
Articles
-
James Turrell
American artist
-
Ai Weiwei
Chinese activist and artist
-
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thai film director
Painting
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.
Articles
-
Bohemian school
visual arts
-
Expressionism
artistic style
- tempera painting
Photography
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
-
Edward Steichen
American photographer
-
Marie Curie
Polish-born French physicist
-
Garry Winogrand
American photographer
Sculpture
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
-
Constantin Brancusi
Romanian-French sculptor
-
Donatello
Italian sculptor
-
Joseph Cornell
American sculptor and filmmaker