A work of art is a visual object of any medium – such as painting, sculpture, drawing or even a photograph – that has been created by an artist with the intention of expressing some aspect of the artist’s aesthetic point of view. The nature of art is a topic that is explored in the philosophical discipline known as aesthetics, and artworks are often studied within the context of art history.
An artwork is often seen as something that possesses an aesthetically pleasing quality, but this is not always the case. In fact, many artworks are designed primarily for functional reasons, such as jewellery or ceramics, and only later (or sometimes only by cultural outsiders) come to be appreciated as art. Consequently, the concept of an artwork is a controversial one, and there are several different approaches to it.
Institutional definitions claim that certain objects can only be considered to be art if they fit into an established set of criteria, such as:
The main version of this approach is known as historical narrativism or cladistics. It claims that everything is an artwork if it belongs to the right line of descent from prehistoric art ancestors and is part of an established art world. This view is, however, resolutely anthropocentric and arguably a bit over-ambitious.
Another version of the institutional definition is the cluster theorist’s approach, which aims to capture the essence of what makes an artwork an artwork by offering a list of properties that an artwork must have. This list is not exhaustive, but it does capture the essential properties of an artwork. The problem with this approach is that it tends to be based on subjective opinions of experts and therefore may not be objectively valid.
There are also a number of definitions which focus on the functions that artists intend their works to serve. This includes the functionalism of the late Arthur Danto, which is based on the notion that an artwork must express or communicate some of a culture’s deepest values. This view is not endorsed by all philosophers of art, but is certainly one that has gained some popularity.
Artworks can be created using a wide variety of techniques and mediums, and many artists will use multiple different methods in the production of their works. Depending on their intended purpose, the final artworks will vary in size and texture. For example, a painting might be made using oil on canvas, while a sculpture could be created using concrete. Many artworks are also associated with particular art movements, for example Claude Monet’s paintings were connected to Impressionism. These connections can be used to make comparisons between artworks of a similar style and period.