Visual Arts
These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple utilitarian style of the Prairie School.
Browse Subcategories
Featured content, February 02, 2023

8 Masterpieces of Islamic Architecture
Take a tour of a few of the Islamic world’s great monuments

Why Do Brides Wear White?
It’s a nice day for a white wedding.

7 Notable Paintings in Switzerland
Learn before you look.

Why Is the Statue of Liberty a Woman?
Learn why the Statue of Liberty depicts a woman, including a brief history of female personification in Europe.

painting
Painting, the expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-dimensional visual...

Limbourg brothers
Limbourg brothers, three Dutch brothers who are the best-known of all late Gothic manuscript illuminators. Herman (b. c....

British Surrealism
British Surrealism, manifestation in Great Britain of Surrealism, a European movement in visual art and literature that flourished...

Flemish art
Flemish art, art of the 15th, 16th, and early 17th centuries in Flanders and in the surrounding regions including Brabant,...
Visual Arts Quizzes
Visual Arts Videos
Image Gallery
Visual Arts
View Gallery
Visual Arts Subcategories

Architecture is a sphere of art and design in which functionality and aesthetics can combine to produce visually stunning structures that manage to both catch the eye and serve a functional purpose. The expansive variety of architectural styles that have been employed throughout the ages underscores the fact that not every building need look the same, a principle that is readily apparent when comparing Gothic cathedrals with igloos or pagodas with cliff dwellings. Although architecture is commonly associated first and foremost with the design and construction of buildings, landscape architects may work with gardens, parks, and other planned outdoor areas, aiding in the development and decorative planning of such spaces.
Articles
- Baroque art and architecture
-
Christopher Wren
English architect
-
Le Corbusier
Swiss architect

Awards such as the Praemium Imperiale and the Pritzker Prize honor artists for a job well done.
Articles
-
Turner Prize
British arts award
-
Crossword Book Awards
Indian literary awards
-
PEN/Faulkner Award
American literary award

People appreciate the usefulness of things like glassware and furniture, but they appreciate such objects even more when they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. That’s where decorative art comes in. Explore the world of basketry, metalwork, pottery, interior design, tapestry, and more.
Articles

Looking to make a statement without ever saying a word? Fashion designers know that clothing and accessories can speak volumes about the wearer, affecting both how the wearer is perceived by others and how the wearer perceives of him- or herself. The fashion industry has become a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes; it thrives by being diverse and flexible enough to gratify any consumer's desire to embrace or reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.
Articles
-
Giorgio Armani
Italian fashion designer
-
Vivienne Westwood
British fashion designer
-
Hubert de Givenchy
French fashion designer

Calligraphy, graffiti, engraving, caricature: graphic art's domain stretches as far as the eye can see. Take a look at some of the other types of graphic art, and learn more about the artists working within this category of fine arts.
Articles
- printmaking
-
El Greco
Spanish artist
-
Rembrandt
Dutch artist

Learn about the artists who create installation art, which can incorporate a variety of different materials and artistic forms, such as sculptures, videos, and music, all with the purpose of transforming a given space. Performance artists may also make use of videos and music—as well as such varied elements as acting, poetry, dance, and painting—to create a live presentation for an audience; here, the audience could consist of onlookers on the street or patrons browsing the halls of a museum, among countless other possibilities.
Articles
-
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thai film director
-
Pablo Bronstein
Argentinian-born artist
-
Huang Yong Ping
Chinese-born French artist

Need help distinguishing your Picassos from your Monets? Learn about history’s celebrated painters and the different styles, techniques, mediums, and forms that have been used to create such unique visual images as Salvador Dalí’s melting clock and the ever-shifting eyes of Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa.
Articles
-
Post-Impressionism
art
-
Western painting
art
-
Novgorod school
art

Photography’s history began long before we were snapping pictures on camera phones. Learn about the masters of the craft and explore the development of photographic technology as it progressed through daguerreotypes and tintypes on the way to modern day’s increasingly sophisticated digital cameras.
Articles
-
Garry Winogrand
American photographer
-
Edward Weston
American photographer
-
holography
optics

Looking to find a use for that extra clay, stone, plaster, or metal that you have lying around? Consider sculpture, in which artists employ these materials and others to create three-dimensional art. Perhaps you’ll join the ranks of noted sculptors such as Michelangelo, Auguste Rodin, and Donatello.
Articles
-
Joseph Cornell
American sculptor and filmmaker
-
Honoré Daumier
French artist
-
Leonardo da Vinci
Italian artist, engineer, and scientist