What is Art?

Today art can mean just about anything. A person merely has to declare that something is art to them, and if that is his or her opinion then who is to argue? If art world scholars, historians, critics, dealers, and curators insist that something is art, and the rest of the world doesn’t think so, who is to argue? It’s their opinion. This lack of a concrete definition of art is a relatively recent phenomenon. This ambiguity, which is not necessarily a bad thing, started with the deconstruction of the meaning of art by Picasso and the other modern artists of the early twentieth century and continued into the 19705.

In earlier times, such as during the era of the French Academy of Fine Arts in the early seventeenth century, the definition of art was very precise. If a painting or sculpture did not fit the strict guidelines of the Academy, it was not art. It is unknown when the term ’art’ and ’artist’ came into use. During the Middle Ages the word ’artist’ existed in some countries and referred to individuals whose craft and skills were exceptional. During the High Renaissance in the fifteenth century, those who participated in.