Fine Arts - Colleges, Courses, Fees & Scope

Since the advent of time, mankind has coexisted I this world along with many other species. From the wooly mammoths of the Ice Age to the snow leopards today, mankind has shared this planet with some extremely unique species and yet, mankind has always had some sort of superiority in comparison to those species. All of the species and mankind share a load of things in common – survival instinct, pack bonding, striving to make life convenient, imparting knowledge to younglings, etc. However, one feature that clearly distinguishes human beings from other species is humans’ tendency to seek and create entertainment. Be it any form, human beings look to spend their time creating, developing and polishing ways that could entertain their own species to be able to pass their time. They are distinct from other species in that humankind has a taste for the finer things in life. This tendency is where the area of fine arts come about to be.

What are the fine arts?

Fine art is technically defined as a piece of visual art created specifically for aesthetic purposes, i.e., to please the senses of those who witness it, and for intellectual purposes, i.e., to trigger the nerves of the brain of the audience. Fine art is meant to be judged for its beauty, i.e., its aesthetic appeal, and for its meaningfulness, i.e., its intellectual appeal. It is important to note here that while art came about the scene as a means of pure entertainment, its status, position and definition have changed and transformed to an extent that it has turned into a means of intellect as well.

Fine arts shouldn’t be considered the same as applied arts as both the areas are host to different features, purpose and significance in the society. In addition to this, one should know that the ‘fine’ in fine arts is not a unit for quality but an indicator of the purity of the art and of the artist’s mind and efforts. Even though, historically, crafts and similar forms of art were considered separate from the bounds of fine arts, the change in perception and perspectives in modern times has led to the definition of fine arts widening to include crafts inn its mix. A significant point to be made on the subject is that while European and American scholars are largely responsible for defining fine arts and spreading the concept, fine arts as it is defined has existed in cultures for a long time before it was technically defined. Japan, China, Latin America, and so many more regions practiced their own forms of art as part of their culture and traditions.

Types of Fine Art

The topic of fine arts is extremely broad, considering the flexible definition it has taken on in modern times.  It is divided into numerous types and sorts to facilitate better understanding. This division also helps understand the demographics of the audience. Art is divided into types on the basis of:

Sense it appeals to, i.e., visual, auditory, etc.

Method of dispensing the artform

Students studying fine arts as a subject usually go through its various types before selecting which ones they want to study further. It is not unusual for a student to study more than one types of fine art. Often, when a student studies multiple artforms, the artforms are subtly related so as to create a holistic sense of development. The various types of fine arts are:

Visual Arts: These are the forms of art that appeal to the visual senses of human beings. Meant to be viewed, visual arts do not appeal to any other senses. It is further divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms.

Two-dimensional art: As its name suggests, these are artforms wherein the pieces of art created are in the two-dimensional form. It consists of forms such as painting, drawing, calligraphy, photography, printmaking and mosaics. While forms like photography are still new, concepts such as mosaic artwork date back centuries into human history.

Three-dimensional art: As the name clearly states, this form of art exists in the three-dimensional state. It consists of forms such as architecture, sculpting, pottery and conceptual art.

Poetry: Both a form of art and an integral part of literature, poetry uses certain aspects of word and language (such as rhythm, symbolism, imagery, metaphors, meter and phonaesthetics, etc.) to create an aesthetic and meaningful piece of art in order to invoke emotions in the audience.

Music: One of the most popular forms of art across all times, music uses characteristics of sound (such as pitch, dynamics, texture, tempo, etc.) and certain methods of instrumentation to bend the wavelength of sound in a way that incites the auditory senses.

Performing Arts: These are the forms of art that are displayed live for an audience, mostly appealing to both the auditory and visual senses. Theatre, dance and film are three of the most prominent performing arts. This form of art strives to both cater to the aesthetic senses or spread a message or both.

Education in Fine Arts

The spectrum of fine arts is one of the most popular areas of education for students across the world. Fine art courses teach about the history of the artform involved, the various elements that go into building a piece of art, the multitudes of techniques applied, various connoisseurs of the art form and such. Fine arts as a subject is taught in numerous universities:

Royal College of Art, United Kingdom

Parsons The New School of Design, United States of America

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), United States of America

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States of America

Pratt Institute, United States of America

Education for fine arts is meted at all levels – bachelors’ , masters’ and doctorate.

Careers

The area of fine arts is one of the most popular areas of the profession in the modern world owing to its wide range and specific talent-set. Some of the professions available to fine-art degree holders are:

Art Gallery curator

Exhibition designer

Illustrator

Fine artist

Academia

Printmaker

Hence, not only do fine arts appeal to the aesthetic sense of a person, as an educational and professional area, they hold great scope, the reason why students all over the world vie for them.