Fine
art refers to arts that are "concerned with beauty or which appealed to
taste" (SOED 1991). The term was first attested in 1767, as a translation
from the French term beaux arts and designates a limited number of visual art
forms, including painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Schools, institutes,
and other organizations still use the term to indicate a traditional perspective
on the visual arts, often implying an association with classic or academic art.
The word "fine" does not so much denote the quality of the artwork
in question, but the purity of the discipline. This definition tends to exclude
visual art forms that could be considered craftwork or applied art, such as
textiles. The more recent term visual arts is widely considered to be a more
inclusive and descriptive phrase for today's variety of current art practices,
and for the multitude of mediums in which high art is now more widely recognized
to occur. Ultimately, the term fine in 'fine art' comes from the concept of
Final Cause, or purpose, or end, in the philosophy of Aristotle. The Final Cause
of fine art is the art object itself; it is not a means to another end except
perhaps to please those who behold it.
The term is still often used outside of the arts to denote when someone has
perfected an activity to a very high level of skill. For example, one might
say that "Pelé took football to the level of a fine art."
That fine art is seen as being distinct from applied arts is largely the result
of an issue raised in Britain by the conflict between the followers of the Arts
and Crafts Movement, including William Morris, and the early modernists, including
Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. The former sought to bring socialist
principles to bear on the arts by including the more commonplace crafts of the
masses within the realm of the arts, while the modernists sought to keep artistic
endeavour exclusive, esoteric, and elitist.
An academic course of study in fine art may include a Master of Fine Arts degree.
In academia any degree may be pursued yet, no degree is necessary to be an artist,
or specialist, and certainly is not a solid indicator of future talent or success.
Many MFAs are not able to make a living from their own artwork and pursue careers
in art other than being an artist.
Cat #58: Alexis watching Jadis watching
Bentley...
"How nice it is to think that feline dreams, like our own, are painted
with creative brush strokes
from time to time. Perhaps my cats and I even share the same dream: a world
where all kittens are
wanted and loved, and where every cat has a safe, warm place to sleep...and
to dream."
- Barbara L. Diamond
The Infinite Cat Project
Presented by Mike Stanfill, Private Hand
Illustration, Animation, Web Design
www.privatehand.com
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