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The arts

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The arts are a huge way that people express themselves.

Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched
Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched

People use skill and imagination to tell stories. They also use art to share their culture and values. This helps people pass ideas across time and space. Art can be a way to respond to the world. It can also be something done just for the sake of beauty.

Venus of Brassempouy
Venus of Brassempouy

Humans have been doing this for a very long time. We can see this in prehistoric cave paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic period.

There are three main branches of the arts. The first branch is the visual arts.

Gauguin, Paul - Still Life with Profile of Laval - Google Art Project
Gauguin, Paul - Still Life with Profile of Laval - Google Art Project

This includes painting, drawing, and sculpture. It also includes architecture, which is the art of designing buildings.

The Parthenon in Athens
The Parthenon in Athens

People also make ceramic art from clay, like pottery or tiles.

청자 어룡 모양 주전자
청자 어룡 모양 주전자

Another branch is the literary arts. These use words in forms like poetry, drama, and prose.

Sonnets1609titlepage
Sonnets1609titlepage

The third branch is the performing arts. These include music, dance, and theatre.

Artists use many different ways to create their work.

Bianlian
Bianlian

In drawing, an artist might use graphite pencils or charcoal. They use techniques like hatching or stippling to make marks.

Tambourin
Tambourin

Painters use different styles to show their ideas. Some use colors to show feelings, while others use shapes. Sculptors work in three dimensions. They might carve away stone or model with clay.

Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia, 2015-07-21, DD 26-27 HDR
Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia, 2015-07-21, DD 26-27 HDR

Some artists even use sand, cement, or wood to add texture to a painting.

History shows us how art has changed over many years.

The Parthenon in Athens
The Parthenon in Athens

In Ancient Greece, people used the word techne for art and craft. They worked hard to show the beauty of the human body.

Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched
Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched

Ancient Roman art often showed gods as perfect humans. In the Middle Ages, art in Europe often focused on Christian themes.

청자 어룡 모양 주전자
청자 어룡 모양 주전자

In Asia, art from places like India, Tibet, and Japan often used bright colors and outlines. Islamic art uses beautiful patterns and calligraphy instead of drawing people or animals.

Art is always growing and changing into new things.

Hideo Kojima na Brasil Game Show 2017
Hideo Kojima na Brasil Game Show 2017

Some people call comics the "ninth art." This is because they mix drawing with written stories.

MozartExcerptK331
MozartExcerptK331

In the 1960s, a new style called conceptual art became popular. This style focuses on big ideas instead of just how an object looks.

Bharata Natyam Performance DS
Bharata Natyam Performance DS

Performing arts are special because they happen over a period of time. You have to be there to watch a dance or hear a song. Art connects us to the past and to each other every day.

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🖼️ Images & Media (16)
File:MozartExcerptK331.svg
MozartExcerptK331.svg
File:Gauguin, Paul - Still Life with Profile of Laval - Google Art Project.jpg
Gauguin, Paul - Still Life with Profile...
File:Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched.jpg
Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from...
File:Tambourin.jpg
Tambourin.jpg
File:Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia, 2015-07-21, DD 26-27 HDR.JPG
Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales,...
File:Hideo Kojima na Brasil Game Show 2017.jpg
Hideo Kojima na Brasil Game Show 2017.jpg
File:Bianlian.JPG
Bianlian.JPG
File:청자 어룡 모양 주전자.jpg
청자 어룡 모양 주전자.jpg
File:Catullus-at-Lesbia's-large.jpg
Catullus-at-Lesbia's-large.jpg
File:Bharata Natyam Performance DS.jpg
Bharata Natyam Performance DS.jpg
File:The Parthenon in Athens.jpg
The Parthenon in Athens.jpg
File:Gabriel Cornelius von Max, 1840-1915, Monkeys as Judges of Art, 1889.jpg
Gabriel Cornelius von Max, 1840-1915,...

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