"The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture."
Somehow, I personally believe that there is much more to it than that. Art cannot truly be defined in a single sentence. If you look at some of the great works of art from history, like Van Gogh's "Starry Night" for example, you can tell that there is one important main element which is missing from the definition above. Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, no denying that, but the definition fails to mention the word emotion even once.
All of the truly great artists, whether they realize it or not, even if they deny it, put their emotions into their work in a significant way. This can be demonstrated by their choice of subject, use of color, style of stroke, facial expressions of their subjects, and really any other myriad of details in a given art work.
In order to truly appreciate a piece of art, you have to look beyond the canvas, or the stone, or the clay. In order to grasp the true significance, you have to almost read a work of art like a book. Behind every work of art, there is a story.
Part of the inspiration behind the Pictorial Space blog is to expose that third (or fourth) dimension. Hopefully, by frequenting this space, my readers will not just find out about new equipment, or meet new people, but also gain a deeper appreciation of art in its many forms, and the stories it can tell.
