what is art?

Art is the representation or imitation of the world around us, Or art is a distinctive way of looking at the world. Art imitates life. Art involves both skill and creative imagination.

The word art comes from a Latin word ars meaning "skill". Art may have practical purpose and function or may be purely aesthetic and made for self expression; Driven by logic or emotion, be realistic or abstract, created for business or pleasure.

Art can be made to amuse, create controversy, intrigue or even be therapeutic.

Art has not always been so. In times past visual art was used as a means of expression for rulers and kings, used for power or burial.

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Aesthetics - term introduced by German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten, which is a philosophy of the perception of beauty and ugliness - 1753

So what is perception? to perceive is to become aware, for visual art, by sight. To come to understand with the mind through sight.

So with our perception we interpret the world around us with self expression and "copy" or imitate life as we see it.

And what is the world around us but God's art.

...And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. Gen. 1:31

...behold the beauty of the LORD... Psalm 27:4

...He hath made every thing beautiful in His time....Ecclesiastes 3:11