Artworks are artistic or creative productions like paintings, sculptures, and drawings. They may also be illustrations and graphics used in publications or digital media. They may be created to express emotions, convey ideas, or simply enhance the aesthetics of a space or medium. Artwork has a long history as a fundamental form of human expression.
In the 19th century, Hegel argued that the ultimate purpose of art is to reveal the deepest metaphysical truth in a sensory/perceptual way. This truth is not about an objective reality but rather the existence of an immanent force that animates and propels the self-consciously developing universe. Hegel posited that the beauty of the artwork is its embodiment of this divine truth. Artwork, therefore, must possess beauty that is both sensuous and perceptual, and thus superior to any natural or artificial objects.
The emergence of modernist and postmodernist movements has called into question the validity of some traditional definitions of art, especially those that connect art essentially with aesthetic properties and judgments. In fact, several philosophical schools have been developed that seek to develop more robust definitions of art that are not reliant on the properties and judgments considered essential by conventionalists.
One approach has been to develop a cluster theorist view of art, whereby it is defined as any instantiation of the arts that can be said to have aesthetic properties. This has been criticized on the basis that there is no discernible underlying unity to the artforms that can be described in this way, so that what we are really talking about is an arbitrary set of properties that may be attached to any object.
Another approach has been to argue that a work of art must have the characteristics of a particular social kind. This, however, is also criticized on the basis that it is possible for an entity to fail to satisfy the criteria for being a member of a given social kind even though there is collective agreement that it does belong to this kind. For example, if a cocktail party turns into a massacre worse than the Battle of Austerlitz, it will fail to be a cocktail party even if there is collective agreement that it is.
There is a growing body of empirical research that suggests that artworks have beneficial effects on people’s physical and mental health. For instance, a study found that creating art can help patients with dementia manage symptoms like pain, agitation and sleep disturbances. It can also reduce negative emotions like anger and anxiety and improve self-esteem and social behavior. Artworks can also be used in medical settings to distract and occupy patients while they are undergoing treatment for diseases like cancer, or in rehabilitation programs after surgery or injury. For healthcare providers, this type of therapeutic activity can lower the workload by keeping patients occupied and satisfied. This can help improve the quality of patient care and help them recover faster. In addition, it can reduce stress levels for staff members.