Custom «Arts» Essay Paper Sample

It is a well-known fact that art includes a range of human activities and products that are results of these activities. The majority of people, however, understand art as simply photography, painting, sculpture, film, and any other visual media. Arts, however, also include music, dance, theatre, interactive media, and literature. In the past, art was regarded only as mastery in any skill; in the modern day and age, the fine arts are differentiated from the applied skills in general. Arts have also been defined by many philosophers as mimesis, a way to communicate one’s emotions, values or expressions to other members of society. By people of the romantic period, arts were considered as a part of the human brain that originated both from the religious and scientific corners of human’s soul. This municipality is reach in different forms of art. In order to contribute to the community, in terms of economics, social life, and emotions, an art museum should be constructed in our town. I do understand that this decision is a responsible, labor-, money- and time-consuming step; on the other hand, I do believe that this is the only way to ensure spiritual development of citizens, and preserve the sense of beauty in ourselves and our offspring. The construction of an art museum will benefit our society in various aspects. At first, however, let us look deep inside the notion of art, its history, and understand its mining.

History of Art

Different artifacts, like cave paintings, sculptures, and rock paintings, dating to approximately 40,000 years ago, have been excavated in different parts of the country. Even today, the true meaning of these art pieces is not known, since the cultures on which they are based do not exist anymore. Either way, they became a basis for the other kinds of art we have in the world today, including our town. When examining the masterpieces of other artists, the creators of an art acquire a sense of belonging to society and the universe. They derive strength and inspiration from people living long before their existence, and understand that numerous generations of descendants will enjoy their masterpieces in the future. To enjoy true art in a museum, situated in your neighborhood, is always a good opportunity for every artist and every ordinary citizen.

The oldest pieces of art in the world were tiny drilled snail shells. They were dated to have approximately 75,000 years old (McLanathan, & Brown, 1978). These pieces were discovered in a cave, in South Africa. Most intriguing were the containers, dated hundred years ago; evidently, they were used to hold paints.

Some of the greatest works of art are believed to have been created by the ancient people, in the old times. Ancient art was able to survive, develop, and flourish, because different communities in the world that dealt with various forms of art were able to create common aesthetic standards, and yet unique style. The size of these ancient communities and the time have aided in the survival of these peculiar pieces of art. It has also shaped other cultures and certain styles of art and continues to do so today. A few of the arts have a way of showing how the artists of that time worked; they were created to pass a certain message to people of other times and social settings. For instance, the Greek artwork could be distinguished from arts of other nations easily, since they have put great emphasis on the human body. They developed art that showed poise, musculature, anatomically correct positions and physical beauty.

On the other hand, the representatives of the eastern Islamic art schools concentrated on calligraphy, geometric patterns, and architecture. Religious artistic styles and forms dominated in the countries of the East. Tibet and India, for instance, put more emphasis on dance and sculpture (McLanathan, & Brown, 1978). Those sculptures representing religious scenes and characters always were more colorful and bright. China showed most diverse forms when it came to art it had developed in its culture. It flourished in bronze work, poetry, jade carving, painting, calligraphy, pottery, fiction literature, music, and drama, among others. The artistic heritage of China is vast, and each work of every generation is named after the dynasty, which has ruled the country at the time (Carey, 2006). Similarly, Japan also named its artwork after the majestic dynasties; their style of art incorporates painting and calligraphy. At present, the Japanese have an interest in wood block painting; however, they developed this interest only since the 17th century.

It is almost impossible to visit each and every country to study the peculiarities of art of their people. On the other hand, the art museum is the only place that can cumulate the information and pieces of arts from different epochs and civilizations.

Purpose and Functions of Art

In the society, art has a lot of functions; art is a critical piece of history. It is, however, not possible to point out a single concept or develop evaluative scale to access and calculate all art pieces, because art is unique and has a variety of forms and reasons for its creation. Therefore, purposes of art can be grouped into those that are motivated and the nonmotivated ones. The nonmotivated pieces of art are those that do not conform to a particular external purpose or transcend of the individual. Art is something that the human beings do because of their own nature. Works of art that fall under this category are neither objects nor actions but internal appreciation of harmony and balance in the universe. Art also provides a way for human kind to experience their souls and study their inner world, in relation to the universe in appreciation of music, painting, literature, and other works of art. There is also another division of art forms. One can express his or her imagination through art in grammatical or nongrammatical way; the last one is neither tied to a written nor spoken language. Unlike words, which happen to have a definite meaning, art communicates through ideas and symbols that are flexible. Art have also been used in performances, rituals and dances, to reflect the symbolic meaning or pass a message.

Unlike the nonmotivated form of art, the motivated one refers to conscious, intentional action of the artist. The purpose of this art is to bring political change, to express a certain mood or emotion, to address certain aspect of societal life, to demonstrate a discipline, individual psychology, selling of products or simply communication. The communication aspect addresses emotions, feelings, and moods. It is also the simplest way of communication. It is usually created with a motivated purpose (Carey, 2006). Art as a kind of entertainment can be used to entertain and relax a viewer, listener or reader, which is mostly achieved through motion pictures. In terms of politics, art can be extremely useful if applied in the right way. It can be used to steer change in the political arena while at the same time communicate a public message to the political leaders, or vice versa. For instance, it can be used to fight greed, corruption, and other forms of atrocities committed in the world of politics. Addressing the message through art is so effective, as it usually uses no or little form of spoken or written language.

Benefits of Arts

In many ways, arts have been an integral part of the human existence considering the various ways, through which it is intertwined in live. All forms of art collected throughout history have the privilege of being preserved and admired by people from all spheres of life. Art has benefited people and society as a whole; it creates employment for the artists, the marketers of the products, and people responsible for the preservation of these artifacts. On the other hand, people come from all over to have a look at the marvelous irreplaceable pieces of art, placed in the museums. This, in turn, brings additional benefits for the community, as it creates a few working opportunities for the unemployed people and businessmen, like restaurants owners and roadside venders. It caters for the growing number of visitors trickling into the own. The society also benefits in more ways than one with the provision of the visual pieces of art work. The citizens of the town will get a unique opportunity to enjoy art in their own hometown, as students and young people will learn the history of art of their native culture and culture of other communities. One can trace the line ages while enjoying of ancient irreplaceable masterpieces. All in all, art is important and needs to be preserved for the future generations. We have to build the art museum in our municipality to benefit our community and preserve the history and beauty for the offspring.

Art is a form of communication, as some artists express their emotions and pass a message through their masterpieces. It is essential to uphold the culture and pass on the skill, as well as preserve the existing works for the future generations. Setting aside ground for the construction of a new museum of art will uphold this heritage. Even thought, it may seem to be very time and money consuming, it will benefit the community financially, emotionally, and culturally, in the end. I hope the mayor of this municipality hears the plea of the fellow citizens, who support the construction of a new cultural centre. If we fail, the heritage of this municipality will be lost.