What is Visual Art? Discover the Fascinating Visual Language

The concept of Visual Art often appears as a guiding lighthouse, but not everyone clearly understands its nature and importance. Have you ever wondered: " What is Visual Art really? ", "What interesting elements await us?". This article will answer those questions. Let's find out with SaDesign !

1. What is Visual Art?

Visual Art is also known as visual art or visual art. This is an art form that aims to create products that impact the viewer's vision. Visual Art includes different art branches from Fine Arts to Applied Arts.

More specifically, Fine Arts are art fields that focus on beauty rather than functionality such as painting, architecture, sculpture or performance; with modern technology like today, we can mention photography, graphics, filmmaking, etc. As for Applied Art, also known as applied art, it focuses on fields such as graphic design, fashion design, industrial design, interior design and decorative arts.

Visual art acts as a mirror to the times we live in. Through visual art, we can explore the social characteristics of each historical period, from the earliest times to the present. For example, ancient Egyptian figurative paintings and Renaissance mosaics can reflect the social characteristics of that period.

In addition to historical and cultural values, visual art also expresses the emotions and ideas of artists and conveys messages to the public. A beautiful painting can evoke special emotions, a photograph can capture historical moments or paintings can spark discussions about their meanings.

2. 6 types of visual art

To better understand what visual art is, what are the 6 types of visual art? Visual art is not just beautiful paintings hanging on the wall, majestic sculptures or exquisite prints, but also the voice of the soul, the reflection of the world and the bridge connecting people together.

There are many types of art that are classified as visual art including:

2.1. Painting

Painting is a visual art form that uses brushstrokes and colors to convey ideas, emotions, and messages. Watercolors, oil paints, acrylics, pastels, etc. are common materials used by artists to create works of art. Painting can be used to express the artist’s views, emotions, reflect the reality of life, or for entertainment purposes.

2.2. Sculpture

Sculpture is an art form that uses materials such as stone, wood, metal, etc. to create three-dimensional shapes, expressing the artist's ideas and emotions. Sculpture is one of the oldest art forms of mankind. The first sculptures found date back tens of thousands of years, often simple images carved on stone or animal bones.

Sculpture flourished in the civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc. with iconic sculptures such as the Sphinx in Egypt, the Statue of Liberty in the United States, etc. Sculptures are often highly symbolic and can be used to convey complex messages.

2.3. Photography

Photography is the art of creating images by recording light with a camera. Light reflected from an object passes through the camera lens and is recorded on film or a digital sensor, creating an image of that object.

Photography is a unique art form because it can capture real-life moments in a realistic way. However, photography is also a creative art form, because the artist can use light, composition, and technique to create unique and emotional photographs.

2.4. Applied arts

Besides traditional art forms, applied art is a new form in the field of visual art. They are often grouped together with decorative art and commercial art because their role is more commercial than fine art. Some popular types of applied art:

Graphic design: Also known as visual communication design, graphic design is the art of using typography and images to convey ideas.

Packaging design: Packaging design is the design of the external components of the packaging, including shape, color, images and messages to attract customers' attention and make a positive impression on them.

Fashion design: This is a visual art form that designs and creates fashion products such as clothing, accessories, shoes and jewelry. A fashion designer is not just a person who creates designs but also shapes fashion trends and styles.

Interior design: Interior design is one of the visual arts that we interact with most often. This field includes the design of interior spaces inside buildings such as houses, offices or other spaces.

Jewelry design: One of the earliest decorative and applied art forms, jewelry design is the creation of jewelry products such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings.

2.5. Handicrafts

Decorative arts are a branch of visual arts that emphasize not only aesthetics but also functionality. They are sometimes called crafts and were only recognized as part of the visual arts in the 19th century. Some common types of decorative arts include:

Ceramics: Although fine art ceramics also exist, many other ceramic works can be classified as decorative art because they serve a practical purpose. Ceramic art is the art of shaping clay, firing it in a kiln, decorating it with glaze, and firing it again to achieve its final shape.

Tapestry: Tapestry is an art form that has existed for many years in many cultures. Classified as a handicraft, tapestry can be created for many different purposes. In fact, the ancient Egyptians and Incas used tapestry as burial cloth. Centuries later, the Greeks and Romans used it to decorate their walls.

Glass art: Glass art is a field of art that uses glass to create works of art. In the Middle Ages, this technique was used to create stained glass windows in churches. Today, this technique is mainly used to create some decorative objects.

Mosaic: A mosaic is a decorative art form that uses small pieces of material such as stone, glass, ceramic, or glass to create images or patterns on a flat surface. In ancient Greece and Rome, mosaics were used to decorate homes, palaces, and buildings.

Metalwork: Metalwork is an art form that uses metal as the primary material to create works of art, decorative objects, or utilitarian objects. This ancient art form was originally used to decorate swords, shields, and armor.

2.6. Tattoos and makeup

Tattooing and makeup are also known as Body art, a type of contemporary visual art that uses the human body. This type mainly includes tattooing and makeup:

Tattooing: Tattooing is a technique of using a needle to insert permanent ink into the skin, creating a permanent image or pattern on the body. Archaeological evidence shows that people have been tattooing since the Neolithic period for a variety of purposes, such as expressing religious meaning, social status or remembering important achievements.

Makeup: Originating in the Paleolithic period, face painting was originally used to identify key members of a tribe or to perform certain rituals. Makeup has evolved greatly in modern times with the advent of many new products and techniques.

3. Some famous Visual Artists

In the world today, there are many talented artists in the field of Visual Art and own famous works, bringing creative inspiration to many future generations.

3.1. Letterist Jessica Hische

Hische is famous for her talent in logo design, she also released her first children's book called "Tomorrow I'll be brave". Thanks to the humane messages conveyed through her works, Hische has brought great motivation to the young generation. Having such inspiration is because she herself constantly strives and tries every day to perfect and breathe life into her works of art, so that they are accepted and admired by the public as they are now.

Art lovers know her through the film Hische designed herself – “Moonrise Kingdom” directed by Wes Anderson. This work was nominated for an Oscar and caused a big stir when it was first released. In addition, it is impossible not to mention Hische’s famous artwork “Paint the Town” which is also loved by many people and was once a “stormy” work.

3.2. Stage Designer – Es Devlin

Es Devlin once said about her art: “In over two decades of working, one of the things I have discovered is that things are often created to fill in the gaps of other things.” With her main field of activity being kinetic sculpture, she has really done well and brought to humanity inspiring works of art.

Devlin has designed for major British theatres, most notably the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also worked on television, feature films, fashion shows and rock stars. She is considered the world’s most famous stage designer, having contributed to the success of famous tours such as Beyonce, Kanye, Lady Gaga and Adele. In 2016, she designed the Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympics and previously completed the design for the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics four years earlier.

3.3. Artist, photographer and designer Paul Fuentes

Fuentes is a well-known graphic designer and content creator. His food images have received a lot of positive feedback from his audience. He once said, “With just a piece of sushi or a piece of hamburger, my goal is to break up your boring Instagram feed and make you smile when you see the images I post. I want to tell people how wonderful the world is by sending images of food, animals, and even objects. These images are mashups of minimalism combined with pastel backgrounds.”

The above article is a summary of useful information about the field of Visual Art for readers to refer to. Hopefully, the above sharing will help you understand and apply it in your work process.