| A painting hanging in a museum, or a sculpture in a park is clearly art. But other types of art are not so obvious. A flask of perfume, flower garden or a rock collection can all be considered art; they are all things that are created, changed, or selected to be appealing or express meaning.
Any attempt to sub-categorize art necessarily includes arbitrary distinctions. Nevertheless, it is commonly done. One particularly controversial group is the fine arts. Some reject the whole idea of “fine” arts as too elitist. Painting, classical music, and sculpture are generally included in the fine arts by those making the distinction. The visual arts are forms in which art works are created primarily to be experienced visually. Examples of visual arts include drawing, painting, and photography. The decorative arts are generally defined as ornamental and functional works in ceramic, wood, glass, metal, or textile. Examples of decorative arts are furniture making, interior decoration, ceramics, and glass blowing. The performing arts include various type of theatre and opera, dance, and magic. The language arts are based in the use of language and include fiction writing, poetry, and play-writing. |