Significance of art in our life

According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary culture is defined as “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively”.

Things which generally come under the heading of ‘the arts’ are as follows:
· Literature which includes novels, short stories, biographies, drama and poetry.
· Performing arts are represented by dance, opera, cinema, theatre, ballet and concerts (rock, classical, country and western music).
· Fine arts refer to painting and sculpture.
· Architecture
· Ceramics

What do we mean by ‘art’? We use the word a great deal and in many different contexts. We talk about the art of the film-maker, for example, but what we actually mean by the word ‘art’ alone is really quite different. As a general definition we will consider art to be the creation of something that is ‘aesthetically pleasing’.

The most important movements of art and architecture in European history are:
· Romanesque: Typical attributes of this style are painted walls, massive pillars, small round windows and doors, round arches, and later, carved doors.
· Gothic: It is known to be the highest and noblest of all styles. The main distinguishing features are rib vaulted ceilings, stone erches, and stained glass windows. The Notre Dame in Paris is built in this style.
· Renaissance: The word renaissance is representative of a period in which the role of townspeople increased and life on earth was celebrated. In Renaissance architecture, you can find lower buildings with simple facades ornamented by grafiti and stucco, horizontal lines, and square and rectangular windows and doorways. World famous artists of this period were Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo da Vinci.
· Baroque: It was a period in which man turned back to God. Baroque art focuses on the themes of death, destitution, and starvation. The buildings of the time were based on classic models, full of splendor and nobility. Baroque architecture is known for luxury detail and extravagent decoration, such as curves, and ovals made of gold and marble. Also notable during this period was the play of contrast made between light and dark.
· Rococo: The Rococo period is marked by elegance, lightness, and cheerful decoration. Paintings during this period returned to nature and the exotic, and often featured love scenes.
· Classicism: It was a period marked by emphasis on reason over emotions and drew its inspiration from classical antiquity. It featured straight lines, light colours, and little decoration.
· Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic, and Neo-Renaissance: A revival of Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles emerged during the 19th century. Many churches and public buildings were built, drawing inspiration on the styles of previous periods.
· Art nouveau: It was a period of new values and new rules in art. Interesting new materials were used, including glass and ceramics.

As we stroll through almost any city in Europe, we can feast our eyes on the works of architectural art from many different periods and styles. Each castle, château, palace, town house, cottage, church, chapel, or other kind of building displays the art style of the historical period in which it was build. These styles developed out of the political, religious, social, and economic system of its time. By studying a piece of architecture, we can better understand history. The fine arts also offer us insight into the past and bring beauty into our world. When we walk through city parks and squares, we often come across statues and sculptures cut in sandstone, granite, and marble, carved in wood, or moulded in clay, plaster, or bronze.

Not everybody was born with the extraordinary ability either to create art or to perform it. Those lucky ones who are gifted enough can make a living of art as actors, actresses, directors, conductors, musicians, painters, sculptors and writers. The vast majority of the human population are those who only consume works of art. Moreover, there is also the third category of those who critisice both creators and consumers of art. They scorn the former ones for not being able to create a ‘proper’ work of art and the latter ones for not having taste. If people cared about their highbrow comments on art, art would no longer exist.

The arts in all their forms draw large audiences. Those interested in music can listen to philharmonic or chamber orchestras, choirs in concert halls. Keen theatre goers can watch various types of dramatic art, operas and ballets in historical buildings of theatres. Fans of popular culture usually prefer open air concerts. To store works of fine art galleries have been built. They exhibit masterpieces of different types from portraits to landscapes. Since the Lumiere brothers developed the camera and the projector, film has become the most influential and profitable industry.
Whether art is here to entertain, educate, or whatever, only you can say how much importance art has in your inner life. Do you have a passion for a particular painter or sculptor, are you interested in poster or graffiti art, are there particular buildings which have a particular resonance with you, is the use of colour important in your day-to-day life?

Speaking about a strictly practical point of view, art is useless. It doesn`t feed or clothe people, it doesn`t heal the sick or make the blind see.
The point of art is to stimulate the imagination, to try to make the viewer understand some of the emotions and ideas experienced by the painter when he was creating his work of art. There are many things that can feed the body; several things that can feed the mind, but only the arts in general and art in particular can feed the imagination.

Cinemas and theatres are the most popular cultural activities. Many people also like to visit art exhibitions. Every city has exhibition spaces, where the individual exhibitions take place. The most frequent are picture exhibitions. The exhibition may present the work of a single artist or it presents the work of several artists on a single theme.Cinema is very popular cultural activity. For projection of a film all that is needed is a movie screen and a reel of film. If we want to go to the cinema, we must by a ticket. The atmosphere in the cinema is quite strange and it`s great if you can become accustomed to a part of one of the actors or actresses. Going to the cinema is a social event which is enjoyed by the majority of young people. Sitting back on the seat, watching a film together with other people on a large screen gives you a big thrill.

Others opt to go to the theatre. Compared to the cinema, the theatre is a more expensive form of culture. As there aren`t many theatres in Slovakia and as people have to cover long distances to get to the theatre, the theatre isn`t as frequently visited as the cinema.

Very important are museums and galleries. We can find there sculptures displayed together with beautiful paintings. There are all kinds of paintings, such as landscapes, still lives, sketches, life size portraits, and miniatures, painted in oil or watercolours. We can find there also many another things as photographs, clothes, animals, flovers etc. It`s depending on the art of the museum. A visit to a museum contributes to our education and enriches our minds. Many pupils visit museums with their teachers. There are many kinds of museums. These can be museums of history, agriculture, industry, etc. Often there is a guide who takes us around the museum exhibits; his explanations help us understand all that we see. Then he willingly answers our questions.

We can visit various castles, châteaux and ruins. You won`t find anybody who wouldn`t like to make his holiday more interesting by visiting a château or a castle. One can learn a lot that way about the distant past.

Reading is another source of knowledge and culture. A book answers a whole series of our questions. A good book poses new questions. My life would be unthinkable without books. Reading books is my big hobby. The last book what I have read was Michelangelo, the creator was Irving Stone. I have learned a lot about Michelangelo and his life and about the era he lived in.

When given a choice between a film and a book, some young people go for a film. Watching a film in the cinema takes less time than reading a book at home.

Radio and television are also a part of people`s culture lives. For some people it is the only culture in their lives.

Despite the fact that we nowadays have less and less free time, we should always find a while for a good book, to attend theatre from time to time and to go and visit a museum or some interesting exhibitions a few times a year.