Art is not produced by nature but manmade. In mathematics or the laws of physics, there
is merely discovering what is already there. But a piece of artwork has
application of human imagination and perceived differently
by individuals. Art is thus subjective when it comes to liking by
audience.
Elements of visual art are building blocks artists use to design their work. Formal elements are space, point, line, shape, color, value (light and dark), and texture. Using these as bricks, an artist creates a whole new world of visual experience.
While designing artwork, an artist selects his or her theme of dominance called ‘emphasis.’ To make artwork pleasant, visual combinations are used called building ‘harmony.’ ‘Unity of purpose' is maintained while depicting elements so that all parts appear related. 'Contrast’ such as using colors black and white in sequence makes artwork more dramatic or expressive.
Artistic mind refers to natural ability of an individual to learn skills such as painting or photography. For some, it is easier to acquire artistic skills than others or are artistically talented. Painting of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, sculptor of Pieta by Michelangelo, architectures such as The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, printmaking such as Pablo Picasso's 'Minotauromachy' are examples of popular visual art.
Although beauty is one of the major objectives, bringing into notice harshness of life is also frequently part of an artist’s work.
Performance art such as dancing has been there for centuries nourishing pleasure with body movements of dancer. Magic is yet another performance art. In conceptual art, idea matters more than physical identity.
Today, there is flux of visual images around us, be it print or audio-video sources. Interpreting ideas conveyed by visible actions or images is called visual literacy. A picture, after all, is worth more than thousand words. One
of the challenges in the world of marketing is to woo customers by images in brochures and advertising materials.
