Artworks are creative productions that aim to communicate ideas and emotions. A broad range of objects can be considered artworks, from paintings and sculptures to architecture and performance art. The concept of artwork is the focus of the philosophical field of aesthetics, and a wide variety of perspectives on the nature of art exist. Artworks can have significant cultural and historical value, offer personal or societal enjoyment, or serve as a form of problem-solving.
In contemporary discussions of the definition of art, the term “artwork” usually refers to any object or display that is aesthetically meaningful or engaging. A more narrow understanding of the term may include only certain artistic disciplines, such as the fine arts, graphic arts, or visual arts. The discipline of art is often viewed as a socially constructed category that encompasses various forms of human expression and creativity. Artworks can take many different forms and can be enjoyed in a variety of settings, such as galleries, museums, and public spaces.
The most familiar type of art is a piece of visual media, such as a painting or photograph. Other examples of artwork include a theatrical play, opera, or musical concert. Objects that document immaterial artistic creations, such as film or video, are also considered artworks. Other ephemeral works, such as dance and writing, can be considered art if they are intended to communicate ideas and emotions. Even architectural design, landscape architecture, and megalithic monuments can be considered art if they are planned or executed with intention and skill.
There are several different types of artworks, and artists use a vast array of techniques in creating their works. Many modern artists, for example, combine multiple styles and mediums in their work. In addition, some of the most famous artworks are associated with an art movement or period, such as impressionism, cubism, and surrealism. The term artwork can also be applied to the philosophies and beliefs that inspire or guide particular artworks.
A classic view of the definition of art is called conventionalist conventionalism, which holds that artworks are characterized by their possession of certain properties, such as representational, expressive, and formal properties. This view has a number of important implications, including the idea that all artworks have some kind of intrinsic value that transcends their mere material properties.
Another approach to the definition of art is cladistic. This approach holds that every art tradition stands in a line of descent from prehistoric art ancestors, and that this line of descent forms an artworld. Cladistic definitions have a number of problems, including the fact that they are bottom-up and resolutely anthropocentric.
The most controversial approach to the definition of art is Hegelian aesthetics, which holds that a work of art expresses the deepest metaphysical truth. Hegel defines beauty as the sensuous/perceptual appearance or expression of this truth, and argues that artistic beauty is superior to natural beauty. Hegel’s philosophy has had a profound influence on contemporary Western culture, particularly in the visual arts.