Written by Madhura Prakash and Sonaxi Sathpati
Edited by Shreya Srinivasan
Illustration by Deepshikha Banerjee
What is art for? What is the purpose of art?
These are some of the questions that come to mind when we see a ripe banana duct-taped to the wall at Art Basel, Miami. But these questions are rather modern. All throughout history, art has seemed to serve a definite purpose.
While debated by some, cave paintings or petroglyphs could be considered the earliest evidence of art in human history. It can be said that these cave drawings served the purpose of survival as they depicted activities of daily sustenance like hunting.
The Bronze Age saw art in the form of murals, pots, and sculptures. These works had more structure and symmetry than ever before. These were seen in parts of Egypt and were used to honor one's ancestors and perform ritualistic practices. Around the period of 1000 BCE, intricate statues and pottery depicting stories of deities emerged in the Greek and Roman cultures as well.
The Middle Ages saw the rise of Christianity. For an entire millennium, art served the purpose of promoting the Christian religion through extravagant and beautiful cathedrals, paintings, and sculptures. Many other religions, like Buddhism, Islam, etc., had started using art to further their ideologies by then.
One of the most remarkable and influential periods in art history was the Renaissance. While still being Christian, art had integrated itself into fields such as architecture, astronomy, cartography, engineering, and medicine. Art in this era contributed to our knowledge in these fields. Art had embraced composition and technique, which led to the rise of some of the first art academies in Europe. This was the era of artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, some of the most popular names in the art world today.
Art during the Neoclassical era portrayed the feats achieved by kings and emperors; it showed the lives of the rich and wealthy elite classes. As opposed to the earlier ages, art had begun to serve a political agenda as well; a noteworthy testament to this is the painting by Jacques-Louis David—"Napoleon Crossing the Alps."
In the 18th century, the French poet Theophile Gautier became an early proponent of Romanticism, arguably the most significant period in art history as art became more personalized, abstract, and emotion-based. For the first time, art was a means of true creative expression. This rebellion against the conventional notions of art was furthered with the age of Impressionism, where artists started using strokes instead of the approved blended method of painting, much to the chagrin of the academies.
Contemporary art, also known as the art of today, came into being in the second half of the 20th or in the 21st century. It provided opportunities to reflect on society and the issues that are of importance in that society. It is crucial that contemporary art not be confused with modern art, as contemporary art is very diverse and eclectic in nature.
Today, contemporary art comes in all shapes, sizes, and mediums. It includes paintings, sculptures, videos, etc. New mediums, use of color, new techniques, etc., constitute a critical part of contemporary art. In general, there are seven contemporary art forms, namely, painting, sculpture, architecture, film, literature, music, theater, and dance.
Over the years, there have been numerous different contemporary art movements like fauvism, cubism, expressionism, dadaism, surrealism, and abstract art. Contemporary art separates itself from its predecessors by focusing more on experimentation and freedom, on the one hand, and on society and social impact, on the other.
Our brief journey through the various art periods has shown us the diverse roles and responsibilities art has taken up over time. Today, we see art in every field imaginable; we see art in medicine, architecture, religion, politics, advertisements, and so many more avenues. While art has been and will always serve its multiple purposes, it is also important to remember that art is also a means of self expression. True art, as many believe, is the genuine, unfiltered expression of the creator's thoughts, emotions, and feelings. To us, when asked about the purpose of art, we just like to quote Theophile Gautier, "l'art pour l'art," i.e., "art for art's sake."
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