HUMANITIES

Pacific art and visual culture

A variety of artistic practices including objects, dance, song, painting, sculpture, adornment, textiles, performance, and oral histories.

Art

A diverse range of human activities creating visual, auditory, or performing artifacts to be appreciated for beauty or emotional power.

Renaissance Period

A cultural movement that flourished in Europe around the 14th century, often called the golden age of Europe.

Contemporary Art

Art produced today, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art, considered to have begun in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Pop Art

An art movement defined by an interest in mass culture and reimagining commercial products as accessible art.

Photorealism

An art movement aimed at creating hyperrealistic drawings and paintings, often working from photographs.

Conceptualism

An art movement where the idea behind a work of art takes precedence over the artwork itself.

Minimalism

An art movement that materialized in the 1960s characterized by a simple, abstract aesthetic.

Performance Art

A drama-inspired approach to art that conveys a message or idea beyond entertainment.

Installation Art

A three-dimensional art medium that transforms a space, creating an immersive environment for the viewer.

Earth Art

A movement where artists create site-specific works in natural landscapes.

Street Art

A genre rooted in social activism that includes murals, installations, and graffiti in public spaces.

Visual Arts

An umbrella term for various artistic disciplines including Fine Arts, Contemporary Arts, and Decorative Arts & Crafts.

Fine Arts

A category within visual arts encompassing drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.

Contemporary Arts

Modern art forms including assemblage, collage, mixed-media, and performance art.

Decorative Arts and Crafts

Art forms such as ceramics, tapestry, and glass art that are functional as well as artistic.

Auditory Art

Art that includes music in all forms, distinct from those that combine music with other literary elements.

Performance Art (defined in detail)

Art forms performed in front of a live audience, including elements of theatre, music, dance, and object manipulation.

Art is Universal

Art exists in every culture and era, reflecting the human need for expression and creativity.

Art is Subjective

The meaning and value of art differ based on individual experiences, cultural backgrounds, and tastes.

Art Communicates

Art conveys emotions, ideas, or messages that are hard to express verbally.

Art as Representation

Art serves to reveal truths, suggesting that it is not merely a commodity.

Aesthetic Judgment

Kant's idea that we judge beauty not for function but for pleasure in observation.

Purposiveness Without Purpose

The notion that art appears intended but lacks practical function.

Free Play of Faculties

The harmonious interaction between imagination and understanding in experiencing art.

Autonomy of Art

The perspective that art is valued for its aesthetic merits rather than for utility or moral lessons.

Art Reflects Society

Art mirrors the cultural, political, and historical contexts of its creation.

Art is Timeless

Art transcends time and cultural changes, retaining significance across eras.