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artistic oil painting

Arts Definition and History

The arts are the expression or application of creative skills in various endeavors and disciplines.  More specifically, the primary art forms include visual arts, performing arts, culinary arts, and language arts.  Visual arts include art forms such as painting, drawing, architecture, and sculpture, that are created primarily for their visual appeal.  Performing arts include activities such as music, drama, and dance, in which artists express their creative talents in front of audiences.  Culinary arts cater primarily to our sense of taste; they include preparing, cooking, and presenting both food and drink, often in the form of meals.  Language arts include (1) listening and speaking, (2) reading and writing, and (3) viewing and visually representing images and accompanying words.  In 1981, American researcher Robert Sperry was awarded a Nobel Prize for discovering that the right side of the human brain tends to process information more visually, while the left side processes information more analytically.  Therefore, many people consider "right-brain" dominant people to be more artistically creative than "left-brained" people.
Architecture and sculpture were prominent arts in ancient Greece, and their influence affected the arts of ancient Rome and has broadly influenced the cultures of many countries around the world.  An early reference to the performing arts is found in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, in Genesis chapter 4, verse 21, where we read that Jubal was "the father of those who handle the harp and pipe"; a reference to the visual arts is found in 1 Kings chapter 6, verse 29, which states that King Solomon "carved all the walls of the house round about with carved sculptures of cherubim".  Further elaboration of the topic of the Arts is available on this Arts Information Guide.

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