Art Appreciation is extremely important to our society, especially in this day and age with the internet, television and constant bombardment of images that we see each and every day of our own lives.
Art appreciation is the knowledge of understanding of the worldwide and enduring qualities that identify all great works of art. Art history differs in that it informs us about the past, especially pre-history before the written word was ever even created. Art as we know it is as old as the Paleolithic period, also know as the "Old Stone Age", which took place 2 million years ago.
There has always been a need for humans to express themselves or to create, whether it's to make something special or to communicate a thought, an idea, a memory or an emotion. You can tell a lot about a culture or a society, by studying the artwork that it produced at that particular time.
Art also tells us about the present and what is currently happening in our own society or direct us to look towards the future. Art is not only found in art galleries. Art can be in many forms including paintings, murals, portraits, sculpture, album covers, newspapers, magazines, book illustrations, learning tools, religious icons or symbols, advertisements, diagrams, cartoons, even down to the clip art on your computer.
We use art to communicate ideas with each other even without the use of words or language. Sometimes, art and writing go hand in hand and sometimes art conveys the message all on its own. We can use it to connect with people around the world from other cultures, who don’t even speak our own language.
Art is also used to alter our emotions or the way we feel. It can make us feel better or sometimes worse. We use it to decorate a home or to make a place or a park more appealing and comfortable for the viewer.
Art is also used for learning as interactive tools for younger children or reluctant learners. Art encourages thoughts or ideas because it stimulates the brain to analyze what the viewer is seeing. Art also acts as a great tool or thinking agent for engineers to solve problems.
Art is meaningful because the colors, shapes and depictions it creates but, it is also subjective.
It is interpreted through the viewer’s eyes and it up to the person to observe the form of art, to assess or think, and then conclude the meaning on their own.
