Contemporary Arts 1.1

The word art is quite difficult to define and its definition has been highly contested throughout history. The word originated from the Latin word ars which means skill and with the Greek word techne which means technology. A common definition of art is that it is used to express ideas or feelings through creative processes and imagination. This is often done through the various forms of art discussed below.

Visual Arts

Visual arts is an expression of artistic ideas through images, structures, and tactile work. Painting, sculpture, and architecture are considered as examples of it. Some visual artworks are integrated - which means it combines several medium to create a new and unique artwork.

Literary Arts

Literary arts is an expression of ideas through writing. There are many types of literary artworks, and this can be categorized into:

·         Poetry - It is considered as one of the oldest forms of literature characterized by its imaginative and figurative language. Some poetic forms are strict with rhymes and syllabic counts, like the sonnet, while contemporary poetry pieces now go beyond the limits of form and more and more writers dwell more into free verse.

·         Prose - When an imaginative literary piece is not written in figurative language, then it is considered as prose. Prose is usually written in complete and grammatical narratives. Examples of prose are short stories and novels among others. Generally, prose is a literary piece that is not poetry.

·         Drama - When a text is written to be performed and not just read, then it is considered as drama. Usually, people refer to dramas as plays.

Performing Arts

Performing arts is an expression of an artistic idea through written lyrics, text, dramatization, and multimedia production. Performing arts usually require the musical theatre, dance, and drama, a combination of different art forms, such as literary art for the material and visual arts for stage design.

Different art forms are distinct from each other, but are not necessarily independent of each other. This means that two or more disciplines of art can be used in the creation of an integrated artwork.

This integration calls for a combined use of various disciplines to create an expressive work. An example of a contemporary artwork is the spoken word poetry. It is when poetry is written to be read on a stage, usually in intimate settings such as a coffee shop.

An integration of various art forms has become more and more evident in contemporary arts. With people of different cultures having contact with each other, it is inevitable that artists lift styles and techniques from different practices.