Purposes of Visual Arts

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Purposes of Visual Arts

• Ceremonial, Artistic Expression, Narrative,
  Functional, Persuasive

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Ceremonial Art

• Artworks created to support worship ceremonies,
  rituals, and celebrations.

Worn by the initiation leaders during the
initiation rites, the mask represents the face of
the Yaka ancestors who established the boys'
initiation ceremonies.
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Artistic Expression

• Artwork intended to express or communicate
  emotions, ideas, feelings (e.g., for
  self-expression, to decorate or beautify objects)

Marcel Duchamp. (American, born France.
1887-1968). Bicycle Wheel. New York 1951 (third
version, after lost original of 1913). Metal
wheel mounted on painted wood stool, 51 x 25 x 16
1/2" (129.5 x 63.5 x 41.9 cm).
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Narrative Artworks

• Artworks that tell stories, describe and
  illustrate experiences, or communicate
  information, art to document important or
  historical events

Dorothea LangeWhite Angel Bread Line1932
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Functional Artworks

• Artistic objects used in everyday life (e.g.,
  pottery, quilts, baskets, etc.).

Amy Sanders
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Persuasive Artworks

• Artworks that promote ideas, philosophies, or
  products (e.g., advertising, marketing,
  propaganda, ideology, etc.)

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Subject Matter in Art

• Representational (e.g., landscape, portrait,
  still life)
• Abstract (Recognizable, but distorted)
• Nonrepresentational (non-objective)