Facts about Art & Fun Insights on Art from different Cultures and Periods

• Look at an app’s UI, logo, color scheme, etc., hide it, then try to redesign it on your own from memory. Compare your design to the original.
• Copy a work you like by drawing over it, then try to recreate it on your own. Compare your recreation to your copy, where were you weakest?
• Use YouTube tutorials by skipping to the end, trying to reproduce it on your own, then watching the tutorial to help improve where your attempt was weaker.

• Any kind of creation is an act of God, and the creator feels better after the creation has been completed.
• Art is Therapy, and is healthy for you, just like eating well, or regular exercising

Before Sesame Street, music wasn't even considered as a means to teach children. But Sesame Street changed that and proved that kids are very receptive to a grammar lesson contained in a song.

In 1915, a Danish company for decorative arts launched a magazine to promote local craftsmanship.

It was made to compete against the Art Noveau movement. Social commentary pressed more on the arts, which paved the way for Art Deco - an industrially-driven design philosophy.

• Art does not have a universal definition, though it is generally believed that it is an intentional and conscious creation of something that requires imagination and skill.
• It can be thought of as a symbol of what it means to be human, manifested in physical form for others to see and interpret.
• The word ‘art’ originates from the Latin word ‘ars’ that means skill or craft.
• Art, like beauty, is subjective, and its valuation and definition changes as time goes by.
• To understand art one has to see it’s essential nature and the social impact or importance it generates.

Graffiti, or the practice of writing, drawing, painting or doodling on walls and other surfaces is as old as man himself, with prehistoric and ancient cave paintings of hunting scenes being the first documented proof of the same. The word comes from the Greek term ‘graphein’ and means to ‘scratch, draw or write’.

Graffiti was employed during World War II to create brotherhood among soldiers, who felt a connection with the words and images on the walls left by other soldiers.

• Contemporary graffiti dates back to 1967, arising from the Black and Latino communities in New York City, with the aerosol spray paint acting as a catalyst.
• The artists, known as taggers, used to ‘tag’ or paint in as many locations as possible, with the intention to ‘get up’, having maximum people see the art.
• Subway cars and trains became the next big thing to ‘tag’ with graffiti, as their mobile nature ensured that more people would see it. The giant artwork had a unique energy and aura while it moved, creating an effect that is not possible on a static wall.

In about a decade, the ‘vandalism’ of infrastructure and public property became a big problem in NYC, as it had a negative psychological effect on every citizen. The authorities put in measures to make it harder for the writers to hit their targets, but it just made the game more challenging and interesting for the artists.

Extreme steps were taken in 1984 to clear NYC of Subway car/train graffiti, and commuters had to face hardships, but the practice of street graffiti flourished in the coming decades.

• Apart from attention-seeking graffiti, street art had other traditional forms that put real art (in an image form) outside of the churches and galleries, something visually different than the text-based urban communication that graffiti that helped early writers develop a network.
• Key artists that got into image-based art were Jean-Michel Basquiat (known by the tag SAMO) and Keith Haring.
• This was also the time when there were major changes in drawing techniques and type of material used, shifting away from the aerosol paint cans.

Many artists made the concept of writing and drawing graffiti faster and more uniform by using stencils, which were made of cardboard and had the cut out of the intended art. Multiple stencils were used in creative ways to add depth and a striking visual element to the viewer.

Stencils became handy and popular as they could be used a number of times and the writer/artist only took a few seconds to complete the graffiti and flee the scene.

• Wheat Paste Posters: The posters made of flour paste could be attached to walls in a matter of seconds, with all the work already done before.
• Sculptural Street Art: 3D objects which are placed at strategic places to create a surprising visual effect to the passer-by.
• Reverse Graffiti: Also called clean tagging, this kind of graffiti involves cleaning a surface in such a selective way that the intended image or text is visible as the cleaned area. This was an ingenious way to make a statement by simply removing dust from a wall.
• Ceramic Tiles: Coloured tiles were a novel way to put street art to the public, and they were fairly permanent.

Though street art is an accepted form of art, it is still considered as vandalism.

Many artists have the option to create artworks in galleries and museums, and get paid for it, but the adrenaline rush of doing something illegal, or going against the authorities is alluring to the artists basic instincts of adventure and thrill.

Art is not only a great source of pleasure in our lives but can also further enrich and deepen our understanding of the world around us.

Developing a casual understanding of art is not that difficult. All it takes is moderate attention to detail, a bit of patience, and a willingness to reflect on your feelings.

Art should appeal to you first through your senses. It should grab your eye in some way, such as its subject matter, its use of color, its realistic appearance, a visual joke, or any other factors.

Once you've gotten an overall look at the painting, ask yourself what the subject of the painting is. It might be a landscape, a person or group of people, a scene from a story, a building, an animal, etc. Some paintings will be abstract.

Style is the mark of the artist's individual creativity on the canvas.

• Some artists follow established styles, while others want to be different and challenging. Some artists create detailed works, while others use broad, haphazard strokes to create a wild, ecstatic effect.
• Style can also convey meaning. For example, Jackson Pollock's drip paintings show the motion and freedom of the artist. Vermeer's Milkmaid is noted for its fine detail, imparting a kind of nobility to the simple act of a servant pouring milk.

A large part of the appeal of art is emotional - some artists want to evoke strong reactions such as awe, anger, disgust, etc.

Knowing that an artist may deliberately evoke an emotional response, take a moment and question your immediate reaction. If a work angers you, ask yourself why it upsets you. If your feelings are happy, ask why the painting makes you feel happy.

A leader can gain much from simply focussing on the other person and listening carefully.

A common mistake many leaders make is to make their communication a one-way street, robbing other people the opportunity to add value to their ideas and decisions. Listening to your audience/peers is a great way to get their attention, provided the leader is not multitasking at the time.

Known as the ‘Jewel Of Italian Renaissance’, the city of Florence has countless groundbreaking developments, seeing advances in politics, finance, business, engineering, philosophy, science, architecture, and artistic creativity. The 15th century CE, the golden age of Florence saw many historic art projects, even after a pandemic killed half of the city’s population.

Currently, Florence is the capital of Tuscany, Italy, and its most populous. The breathtaking scenery and long history make it one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Florence was initially well-known for woollen cloth, creating a central marketplace for the best-quality wool, cleaned to perfection.

The success of the fabric business made the Florentines rich, leading to new financial breakthroughs and innovations, like bank loan facilities, which further enhanced the city’s wealth.

Innovative banking practices like bills of exchange (to facilitate-out-of-city payments) and double-entry bookkeeping, along with the flourishing cloth industry made Florence the wealthiest city in Europe.

The city, flush with wealth, started to focus on art, humanism, creation, enjoyment of life’s pleasures, and intellectual pursuits. It framed itself as ‘The New Rome’ and was a true Renaissance city due to it’s elevated and classist thinking that offered freedom, prosperity and knowledge.

Some of the most influential educational treatises like ‘On the Manners Of A Gentleman And Liberal Studies’ was written in Florence in the 15th century. Many other literary masterpieces like ‘The Human Comedy’ (by Giovanni Boccaccio) or ‘The Divine Comedy’ by the greatest poet of the city, Dante Alighieri made the city an intellectually rich place.

The celebrated artist Michelangelo was also in Florence in his early days as a painter.

In 1348, the bubonic plague swept through Italy, and killed almost half of the city’s population, creating widespread loss and disruption.

Yet the city bounced back and entered its golden age in the next century. Many wealthy families understood art and supported Renaissance artists during difficult times.

Around the 15th Century, Florence was fortunate to have:

1. Polymath Leonardo Da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man.
2. The artists Raphael and Michelangelo.
3. The sculptor Donatello.
4. The writer of ‘The Prince’, Niccolò Machiavelli.
5. The explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
6. The artist Andrea del Verrocchio, mentor of Da Vinci.
7. Sandro Botticelli, another great artist.
8. The first modern engineer and father of Renaissance architecture, Filippo Brunelleschi.

The advanced methods used by creators and artists of Florence(like the four canonical techniques of drawing to produce depth and 3D effects) gave birth to the following masterpieces:

• Birth of Venus, Primavera and Venus and Mars by Botticelli.
• Creation of Adam by Michelangelo.
• The School of Athens by Raphael.
• The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks by Da Vinci.
• Not to mention Da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa, a portrait of a Florentine merchant’s wife, the most famous painting in the world.

Visually different from figurative art, abstract art came in the early 20th century and used colours, lines, forms and shapes to create unseen compositions, with little or faint relation with the outside world.

It expanded upon the artist’s freedom of expression, imagination, inner turmoil, spirituality and spontaneity.

Many historians and artists throughout the century have had contradictory opinions and beliefs about abstract art.

Some people find abstract art the true original expressions, and figurative art being a mere imitation of reality. Others call it a hidden reality, where traces of figurative art are removed and ‘abstracted’ to stoke the imagination.

Abstract art is like an ignition key, cranking up our own inner world of imagination and unlimited possibilities. The image in abstract art is bait. The real magic is in the feeling the overall work of art produces out of the onlooker.

The formless forms of abstract art create inner sounds that evoke sensations and make the person enter the realm of the transcendental.

Abstract art is a no-art art that does not have any rules.

The abstraction is a freeing concept that allows the artist to tap into their intuition, innovativeness and even inner darkness to spill out what is felt inside, creating multi-dimensional magic on canvas.

Nature in some ways is abstract, and a merging of art with nature puts the power of the elements, the sun, water, earth, moon, air and light into the ethereal paintings of imaginary new worlds and metaphorical concepts.

The spontaneousness of abstract art makes the entire process a journey of self-discovery, where the artist does not know where the brush and canvas will take him.

The structure and openness of abstract art are conducive to unexpected twists, turns and tangents, transmogrifying the content into a moving, speaking piece of work.

Figurative art and conventional photography have a limitation of simply imitating or reproducing on canvas what is already existing in reality, and thus is constrained to an extent.

Abstract art is powerful as it transcends the limits of thought and provides unlimited possibilities to explore the many dimensions of human emotions, with each artist using a unique, visual language of lines and colour.

Street style refers to everyday looks seen on the streets. These looks make an impact on the people who pass them by.

Reasons street style inspires trends:

• The looks are usually easier to recreate.
• People are inclined to follow the trend of an 'everyday person' because they think they can easily pull it off themselves.

The Enlightenment was a movement that promoted values of reason, evidence-based knowledge, free inquiry, individual liberty, humanism, limited government, and the separation of church and state.

18th century Paris served as a place for intellectual discourse where philosophes birthed the Age of Enlightenment. Paris earned the nickname "the City of Light."

Paris is France's capital. With over two million residents, it is the most populous city today.

Since the 17th century, Paris continues to serve as a significant centre of diplomacy, commerce, high fashion, cuisine, science, and the arts. It is known as a top tourist destination, famed for its architectural landmarks, museums, restaurants, and atmosphere. Paris is also a popular destination for weddings and honeymoons.

Don't write more, live more.

When you live your life and have amazing experiences, you can use it as material.

This is why it’s always important to keep a pen and paper handy. You never know when an idea will strike. Or where.

• Medieval art
• Renaissance 1300–1600
• Baroque 1600–1730
• Rococo 1720–1780
• Neoclassicism 1750–1830
• Romanticism 1780–1880
• Impressionism 1860–1890
• Post-impressionism 1886–1905
• Expressionism 1905–1930
• Cubism 1907–1914
• Futurism 1910–1930
• Art Deco 1909–1939
• Abstract Expressionism 1940s
• Contemporary art 1946 — present

We all come to art history from some perspective. From this perspective, we are likely to build our mental map of how individual artists and styles of art fit together. When we want to place an artist on the art timeline, we should keep in mind that generalisations are useful only up to a point.

For example, Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky would fit into the movement known as Expressionism (1905-1930). But, his work took on different forms as he associated with various artists in other European cities.

The way we interact and understand art is dependent on how the narrative of art history has been produced.

For example, art flourished during the Renaissance. One of the main sources about artists of this time comes from the book 'Lives of the Artists', written by Italian Giorgio Vasari during the 16th-century. Vasari draws a similarity between the passage of time and the artistic achievement of Italian artists. In writing about his fellow countrymen, Vasari wanted to promote the Italian Renaissance to the elevated position of high-achievement in all of art history.

The idea that art is about progress is appealing to historians because it gives a simple linear-narrative framework. But this view tends to be exclusive in that it views Western art as the main story of art history without considering Islamic art, Turkish art, Japanese art, or West Africa's art.

Vasari was an Italian living in Florence and interested in how the art around him was made. We should remember that all art history is tilted with a bias towards the storytelling.

In similar respects to the Dadaism movement, the pop art movement in UK and US, made art out of simple everyday objects or famous figures found within culture.

Pop Art borrowed objects and people from any source, recontextualized them, and then distributed them as an accessible piece of art for everyone to take part on a mass scale, bridging the gap between high and low art, showcasing the wonder, value, humor, foolishness, and relatability that can be found and shared in everyday life.

• Emerged as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution of Europe
• It embraces the aesthetic of the new industrial Europe
• It features naturalistics but stylized forms that were often mixed with arcs, parabolas, and semicircles
• Fond of natural forms that have been overlooked such as insects, weeds, and mythical fairies.

• Emerged as a reaction to WWI
• Its name was derived from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Mondernes, that was held in France
• It utilizes chrome, steel, and inlaid wood; when dabbled with natural materials it tends to be graphic or textural like zebra skin and jagged fern leaves
• It features bold shapes such as broad curves, zigzags, and sunbursts.

The elements and principles of art and design are the foundation of the language we use when we speak about art.

• The elements of art are the visual tools an artist employs to create a composition: The elements are line, shape, colour, value, form, texture, and space.
• The principles of art define how the artist uses the elements of art to help show the artist's intent. The principles are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety.

The visual elements of a composition should feel balanced and stable. Imbalance causes the viewer to feel disturbed.

Balance can be achieved in three ways:

1. Symmetry, where both sides of the composition have the same elements in the same position, such as the two sides of a face.
2. Asymmetry, where the composition is balanced by the contrast of any of the elements of art. For example, a large circle on one side might be balanced by a small square on the other side.
3. Radial symmetry, where the elements are equally spaced around a central point.

Contrast is when each element of art in a composition is made stronger in relation to the other. When next to each other, contrasting elements are among the first places that the viewer's eye is drawn.

Examples of contrast:

• Negative/positive space.
• Complementary colours placed next to each other.
• Notan - light-dark harmony.

It is mainly achieved through contrast.

A visually dominant area of the composition creates emphasis and commands the viewer's attention.

It moves the viewer's eye around and inside the image.

A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or curvy lines, edges, the illusion of space, repetition, and energetic mark-making.

A pattern is a consistent repetition of any of the elements of art or any combination of it.

Some classic patterns are spirals, grids, weaves.

Rhythm comes from movement implied through the elements of art in an organised but varied way.

While pattern demands consistency, rhythm relies on variety, similar to rhythm in music.

A painting will feel unified when all the elements fit together comfortably.

A painting needs both unity and variety. Too much unity makes it dull, and too much variety creates chaos. The best is to have areas of interest in your composition along with places for your eyes to rest.

First seen in the mid-19th century, impressionist art captured the immediate impression of scenery or moment, communicated by the artist using light, reflection and separated colours.

The capturing of light was done using short brushstrokes done quickly and freely, making the painting appear rough and messy to some.

Impressionist art was looked at with disdain by art critics, as it was commonly accepted that any serious artist would minimize brush strokes and create a glossy, refined painting, not something with visible dots, blobs and smears.

During the first Impressionist art exhibition in 1874, the conservative painters and critics saw this kind of art as unfinished and unprofessional, turning the word ‘impressionist’ into a derogatory term.

In 1874, the group of artists who drew in the rough and messy ‘impressionist’ style clubbed together in France and pooled their resources, promoting their art in their very own exhibition.

French critics, who were used to the official, acceptable exhibitions, were further perplexed at the audacity and how the limits of art were pushed beyond recognition.

Impressionist art was a shift from mythology, historical events and other kinds of 'epic' paintings towards street life in Paris, contemporary life, rural leisure life, and other new places that were never explored by painters before.

The mixing of colours captured the shifting of light, with innovative use of saturation, mixing, and broken colours, giving a vivid intensity to the same.

Most of the impressionist artists lived in Paris, France during the late 19th century and were friends, often meeting at Café Guerbois.

These groundbreaking artists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-August Renoir, Camille Pissarro and many others, left an indelible mark on art.

There is no one dominant philosophy or ideology. Contemporary art is characterized by its global nature. It is also not media-dependent. The whole idea of art as a series of movements is "a modernist schema" more useful for scholars and others to understand the past than for artists working in the present.

Today's art crosses boundaries in terms of discipline. For example, artists can be designers, focus on mass consumption, work in fashion or even collaborate with industrial designers.

Crypto art is a digital art form. It is treated like physical artwork collections, and owners may have verified ownership of a piece of crypto art. The art world has long had established systems for collection paintings or sculptures.

But until now, although it was produced, there was no clear way for people to collect digital artwork. Crypto art and NFTs allow you to do just that.

Crypto art can take many forms, from digital graphics to music, VR dreamscapes, or programmable art. These digital assets can have a collector’s value and can represent items, including still graphic images, photography, GIFs, videos, music & much more.

• The crypto art concept revolves around the idea of digital scarcity. Like traditional art, Crypto Art exists in limited quantities, in some cases, buyers can purchase the rights to partial royalties and reproduction of the artwork.
• Crypto art is usually digital artwork, but it can also be physical art tracked in a blockchain or “crypto” system.

Yes, crypto art can be authenticated and is usually genuine. Just as paintings are signed and authenticated, crypto art can be verified. 

• The verification is completed using a non-fungible token, commonly referred to as an NFT.

Crypto art or “NFT-based artworks” have been selling for thousands or even millions of dollars through reputable auction houses such as Christie’s over the past year.

• The NFTs used to buy crypto art are built on blockchain technology. 
• Blockchain technology is also used for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Etherium, and yes, even DOGE coins. The blockchain offers a secure, digital record of transactions.
• The blockchain acts like a “digital ledger” and serves as incorruptible proof of ownership. Using this system, artworks and their ownership can always be tracked via the blockchain. When you add NFTs to the equation, you are also adding an incorruptible proof of authenticity to this “Digital Ledger.”

Many of the most famous crypto artists have been well known in the digital art space for some time but others are younger, newer artists finding their audience in a digital-first world.

The beauty of crypto art is its democratization of the art scene. Technology has allowed a wider variety of artists and digital creators to get their work out to the world and find new fans and buyers.

One of the biggest names in the digital art market is Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple. Hhis piece “Everyday: The First 5000 days” sold for $69.3 million in March 2021.

You can certainly copy a digital file, including art sold with an NFT. In some cases, the owner can buy the rights to reproduction.

An NFT grants you ownership of the work, but it can be copied with permission or illegally. This is not actually that different from the reproductions we see all the time of traditional artwork. Just as the Mona Lisa has been reproduced countless times in print and digital, so too can crypto art. But only one person can own the original of any artwork.

The Ethereum blockchain is one of the most popular networks for digital artists to join and sell their artwork on. It is currently the most extensive network for crypto art. 

Some marketplaces like Raible and Mintable offer a complete range of digital art. Others like Ephemera cater mainly to photographers. 

Crypto art marketplaces require a portfolio review to gain entry. Make sure you are working with the most reputable and focused marketplace for each artistic medium.

• ArtOlin
• Cryto.com NFT
• Ethereum
• EOSIO
• Flow
• Hive
• Near
• Phantasm
• Tezos
• Waves
• Zilliqa
• VeChain Thor

Do some research before making a big purchase or investment.

Art isn’t a knock-knock joke, and squinting at an exhibit isn’t going to elicit a punch line. Everyone — artists and viewers alike — will have a unique experience. As in the rest of life, there will be times when you can’t relate to the artist, or even understand where they're coming from. Accept that, and move on. Don’t write off art, an entire genre, or even a particular work just because it doesn’t agree with you at the moment. As you go through life, your tastes will change.

Assuming you have the aforementioned human intelligence, then you also have artistic ability. Anything that you consider to be art will be. Walk backward through a crosswalk. Take a photo. Instagram it. Experiment. Cook an amazing meal (bonus points if you don’t look at a recipe). I guarantee you’ll feel better about art after exercising your right to create.

Composition describes the arrangement of visual elements in a painting or work of art. The elements of composition are not the same as the elements of art.

The elements of composition help to give structure to the layout of the painting and the way it is presented. They also lead the viewer's eye to wander around the whole painting, taking in everything and finally returning to rest on the focal point.

1. Unity describes all the parts of the composition that feel as if they belong together.
2. Balance is the sense that the painting "feels right" and not heavier on one side.
3. Movement is achieved by arranging objects. Leading lines direct the viewer's eye into and around the painting.
4. Rhythm. Look for large underlying shapes and repeated colours.
5. Focus is the focal point in the painting.
6. Contrast can be differences in shape, colour, size, texture, and type of line.
7. The pattern is a repetition of lines, shapes, colours or values.
8. Proportion is size and scale, whether nearby or distant.

To talk about paintings, you need to be familiar with the vocabulary to describe, analyse and interpret what you're seeing.

The more art terms you know, the easier it becomes to think of the right word.

Think about your overall impression of the colours used in the painting. Consider how they look and feel, work together, and fit with the subject of the painting.

• Natural, clear, compatible, distinctive, lively, stimulating, subtle, sympathetic
• Artificial, clashing, depressing, gaudy, jarring, unfriendly, violent
• Bright, deep, earthy, harmonious, intense, rich, strong, vibrant, vivid
• Dull, flat, bland, pale, subdued, quiet
• Cool, cold, warm, hot, light, dark
• Blended, broken, muddied, pure
• Complementary, contrasting, harmonious

Consider the shade of the colours and the way tone is used in the whole painting.

• Dark, light, middle
• Flat, uniform, unvarying, smooth, plain
• Varied, broken
• Constant, changing
• Graduated, contrasting
• Monochromatic

Look at how the painting is arranged, the underlying shapes (structure), the relationships between the different parts, and how your eye moves around.

• Arrangement, layout, structure, position
• Landscape, portrait, square, circular, triangular
• Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, angled
• Foreground, background, middle ground
• Centred, asymmetrical, symmetrical, balanced, unbalanced, lopsided, off-centre
• Overlapping, cluttered, chaotic
• Separate, spacious, empty
• Free, flowing, fragmented
• Formal, rigid, upright, confined

It's often hard or impossible to see texture in a photo of a painting, so try not to talk about it if you don't see any texture.

• Flat, polished, smooth
• Raised, rough, coarse
• Cut, incised, pitted, scratched, uneven
• Hairy, sticky
• Soft, hard
• Shiny, glossy, reflective
• Semigloss, satin, silk, frosted, matte

In some painting styles, all brush marks are eliminated by the artist. In others, the marks are clearly visible.

• Visible, blended, smooth
• Thick, thin
• Bold, timid
• Heavy, light
• Edgy, smooth
• Exhibiting glazes, washes, dry brushing, stippling, hatching, splatters
• Layered, flat
• Precise, refined, regular, straight, systematic
• Quick, sketchy, uneven, irregular, vigorous
• Regular, patterned
• Showing marks made with a knife, brush

Consider the mood or atmosphere of the painting. What emotions do you experience?

• Calm, content, peaceful, relaxed, tranquil
• Cheerful, happy, joyful, romantic
• Depressed, gloomy, miserable, sad, sombre, tearful, unhappy
• Aggressive, angry, chilling, dark, frightening, violent
• Energetic, exciting, stimulating, thought-provoking
• Boring, dull, lifeless, insipid

Does the painting seem to be a particular style? There are many terms for different styles throughout the history of art, and knowing these descriptors can leave instant impressions.

• Realism, photorealism
• Cubism, surrealism
• Impressionism
• Modernism, expressionism
• Chinese, Japanese, or Indian style
• Plein air

Knowing which medium the work of art was created in can be useful to include in your description.

• Oil, tempera
• Acrylics
• Pastel, chalk, charcoal
• Mixed media, collage
• Watercolour, gouache
• Ink
• Fresco
• Spray paint
• Wood panels, canvas, glass

When a work is particularly large or small, it may be necessary to include the size and descriptive words, such as mural, miniature, or triptych.

Consider the sense of depth and volume of the artwork.

• 2-D, flat, abstracted, simplified, stylized
• 3-D, realistic, natural sense of depth and space
• Sharp, detailed
• Blurred, obscured, overlapping, indistinct
• Distorted, exaggerated, geometric
• Linear, long, narrow
• Hard-edged, soft-edged

The lighting of the painting is shown in terms of direction, how it creates shadows, its colour, intensity, the mood it creates, and whether the light is from the sun (natural) or a fire (artificial.) Describe the shadows and highlights as well.

• Backlit, front-lit, side-lit, top-lit
• Indirect, reflected or no directional light
• Natural
• Artificial
• Cool, blue, grey
• Warm, yellow, red
• Dim, faint, gentle, gloomy, low, minimal, muted, soft
• Clear, brilliant, bright, glowing, fiery, harsh, intense, sharp

Consider the angle or position of the subject of the artwork. How has the artist decided to present it?

• Front, side, three-quarters, profile, rear (behind)
• Close up, far away, life-size, bird's eye view
• Upward, downward, sideways
• Standing, sitting, lying down, bending
• Gesturing, moving, resting, static

It can seem like you're stating the obvious, but if you consider how to describe an artwork to someone who has never seen it, you would probably tell them the subject of the painting.

• Abstract
• Cityscape, buildings, man-made, urban, industrial
• Fantasy, imaginary, invented, mythological
• Figures, portraits
• Interiors, domestic
• Landscape, seascape
• Still life

First, describe the overall aspect before you describe the individual objects.

• Antique, battered, damaged, dusty, old, worn
• New, clean, shiny
• Functional, decorative, fancy
• Domestic, humble
• Commercial, industrial

Creative writing, filmmaking, painting, sculpting, singing and dancing are just some examples of things that most of us link to the word “art”.

Still, there are four ways in which we can examine whether a particular “art” has fulfilled its role and purpose or not. These four ways are imitationalism, formalism, instrumentalism, and emotionalism.

One main philosophy of art is often not enough for a person to judge it. Most people fall into two categories of a perspective. For example, a person can have a mixture of instrumentalism and imitationalism. As a result, they judge art based on whether it can probe into the audiences’ thoughts but also based on how each element resembles the actual stuff.

At the same time, people almost always have one perspective that is least important to them. Such a perspective means they don’t pay attention to that aspect when they judge art.

The Olympics wasn’t always about abs and doping scandals. The founder of the modern Games, the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was enamoured with the idea of the true Olympian being a talented artist and sportsperson. Thanks to him, between 1912 and 1948 medals were given out for sporting-inspired masterpieces of architecture, music, painting, sculpture and literature.

 Medal winner Jean Jacoby’s ‘Corner’, left and ‘Rugby’, right. via Smithsonian.com

(all the love letters she receives

Over the years many have fallen prey to the portrait’s ‘limpid and burning eyes’, leaving her offerings of flowers, poems and, yes, love notes. Artist Luc Maspero allegedly took this fervour to a new high – and then low – in 1852, diving off a hotel balcony because “For years I have grappled desperately with her smile. I prefer to die.” Who knew art appreciation could be so dark?

 Eyes detail of ‘Mona Lisa’, via Wikimedia Commons

Considering the US is one of the oldest modern democracies, this is pretty amazing. Sir Isaac Newton invented the colour wheel in 1706 by refracting white sunlight into its six colours. The realisation that light alone was responsible for colour was radical, and the wheel proved especially useful for artists, who could now easily observe the most effective colour complementation.

 Newton’s colour wheel, via Wikimedia Commons

What’s that, you say? He inhaled a painting?? The man must be enormous! Not quite. Wigan’s works are ‘micro-sculptures’, so tiny they must be viewed through a microscope. In creating his art, Wigan has to slow his heartbeat and work between pulses. The work he inhaled was Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, but apparently she was even better when remade.

 ‘Nine Camels’ by Willard Wigan

(in the Tate Modern Museum)

The prank was soon undone by its inadequate glue, but for a few hours Crimewatch UK Has Ruined the Countryside For All of Us was hung in one of the world’s most famous museums. It also inspired Andrzej Sobiepan, a Polish art student, to a similar feat in 2005, where for three days he successfully passed off his work as part of the National Museum’s collection.

 ‘Crimewatch UK Has Ruined the Countryside For All of Us’, via Pinterest

Art contemplation is the practice of deeply observing and reflecting upon works of art, allowing oneself to be fully immersed in the experience.

This practice encourages a deeper understanding and appreciation of the creative process, as well as fostering personal growth and emotional intelligence.

By opening ourselves up to the world of art, we can begin to explore the depths of human emotion, creativity, and thought, ultimately leading to a richer and more fulfilling life.

The practice of art contemplation offers numerous benefits, from enhancing emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills to promoting mindfulness and aesthetic appreciation.

Engaging in this practice, individuals can foster personal growth, develop a deeper understanding of the human experience, and cultivate a greater appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the world around them.

Ultimately, art contemplation allows us to explore the depths of human creativity and emotion, enriching our lives and providing a unique window into the human experience.

Art therapy is like using colors, shapes, and forms as a way to understand and express our feelings. It's not about creating a perfect masterpiece; instead, it's a tool for exploring our emotions and reducing stress. When we engage in art, whether through drawing, painting, or other creative activities, it becomes a way to communicate and release what's inside us. So, art therapy is not about being a great artist, but about using art as a means to connect with our emotions and express ourselves in a way that words sometimes can't capture.