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What Is Considered A "Fine Art"?

Updated: Jun 17, 2023

Arts include varieties of types that convey ideas and elicit emotions. These forms of art could be visually demonstrated as paintings, crafts, or other forms that have a specific purpose.

This article will shed light on one of the most popular visual art forms called fine art.


Fine Arts Definition

"Fine art is a type of visual art. It refers to the art forms that are created for aesthetic purposes."


This term is used to describe domains within the visual arts where the art form meets a high standard of excellence and beauty in addition to it is designed with a purpose or intent of aesthetically pleasing or culture-elevating objects.


There are many forms of fine arts including painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, music, dance, theatre, and film.


These popular arts exhibit a high value of art as a result of a high degree of creativity and imagination. Fine arts have a long and rich history, dating back to ancient civilizations, and continue to influence and shape society in a meaningful way.



Historical Overview Of Fine Arts

"Fine art was used to commemorate important events and to glorify their gods and rulers."


The history of fine arts extends back thousands of years when artifacts and cave paintings were discovered as evidence of early forms of art.


Throughout history, fine art has been used to express cultural, religious, and political ideologies. It has often been closely tied to the social and economic status of the artist and patron.


In ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome, fine art was often used to commemorate important events and to glorify their gods and rulers. These ancient art forms were often made of stone or metal or painted on walls and pottery.


During the Middle Ages, religious-themed art dominated Europe, and the Catholic Church was one of the main patrons of fine arts.


During the Renaissance, a period of great cultural and intellectual renewal, fine art was distinguished from performing arts like crafts that were produced for functional objectives.


Thanks to The Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries, which conducted the development of new techniques and materials, and helped artists create new designs with new techniques.


At the beginning of the 20th century, artists explored new forms and styles, such as Impressionism, Expressionism, and Abstract Expressionism.


These steps took fine arts away from traditional forms and paved the way for modern art. Nowadays, the fine arts continue to grow, with updated designs and techniques being created by contemporary artists. Besides, the description of fine arts has expanded to comprise new media and performance art.


Fine arts have stayed a vital aspect of human culture, reflecting our beliefs, values, and experiences.


Let's present one of the most famous portraits of the Renaissance.

Ginevra De' Benci at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
Ginevra De' Benci at the National Gallery of Art, Washington


Ginevra De' Beci By Leonardo Da Vinci

"Look at the portrait!... notice the delicacy of her skin and hair?!"


"Ginvera de' Benci" is a painting by the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci designed in 1474- 1478. It is a portrait of a young woman from the Florentine aristocracy, who lived in Florence, Italy.


This portrait is considered one of the masterpieces of Leonardo's work that exists today. The painting is now housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Masterpiece back to the period of the Renaissance when fine arts witnessed great development in techniques, styles, and subject matter.


Leonardo was one of the most famous artists who contributed to uplifting the value of art. Leonardo focused on realism and was keen on coming much closer to people.



The portrait is characterized by the depiction of the fine details of the woman and her beauty which make us travel through history to imagine the old centuries and what people were like.

Besides, it symbolizes chastity and purity represented by the juniper tree in the background.



I think he wanted to create a spiritual state that arises from the combination of humanism and natural beauty to give us an aesthetic view. Although, ancient art was used to demonstrate important events and paint them on the walls of caves and create designs for Gods to document their historical period.


On the other hand, The significant shift in fine arts from the 14th to the 17th was marked by a new emphasis on the individual and humanism.


Demonstrating beauty, styles, and life is considered one of the essential aspects to be documented in history. From this point, the crucial role of the arts and artists arose to build an emotional connection with people by expressing their feelings and life through paintings.


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