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Fine Arts

Fine arts are essentially those arts which can be enjoyed for their own sake. Fine arts are produced or intended for beauty rather than for other usage. There are many fine arts paintings including oil paintings, fine arts drawing, fine graphic arts, and fine arts sculpture. If you are interested in fine arts, there are many museums dedicated entirely for fine arts all over the world.

Where did the term fine arts come from?

The term fine arts was not used until the 1400s because prior to that time painters, artisans and craftspersons were in the same category. The terms fine arts were not fully developed until the 18th Century to distinguish fine arts from applied arts.

The Renaissance and fine arts concept

The Renaissance period (1420 - 1580) was the first period in history to be aware of itself enough to give itself a name. The Renaissance period was the period of the rebirth of knowledge and culture in Europe, especially in Italy. In painting, the concept of harmony and proportion were recognized and interpreted. Many art and painting techniques were developed in this time period. The rules of art criticism were also developed in the Renaissance period.

Fine arts Vs Applied Arts

In the visual arts, fine arts refer to the painting, sculpture and architecture. Fine arts are arts with no practical function.

How are fine arts valued?

Fine arts are valued in terms of the visual pleasure they provide or their success in communicating ideas  or feelings. One exception to this valuation of fine arts is architecture. Architecture involves designing structures that strive to be both attractive and functional. A building is supposed to provide shelter and service to human beings. Because of this dual usage of architecture art work, architecture is both fine arts and applied arts.

Distinction between Fine arts and Applied arts

While there is no clear division between fine arts and applied arts, we can distinguish fine arts and applied arts by examining the definition of applied arts.

What is applied arts?

The term applied arts (as its name suggests) is most often used to describe the design or decoration of functional objects to make them pleasing to the eye. Applied arts are either made by hand or by machine. The purpose of applied art is to serve people. Applied arts focuses on its functionality rather than its looks.

What do we call artists who create applied arts?

Artists who create applied arts are often called designers, artisans or craftspeople.