Art is everything, everything is art!

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls”- Pablo Picasso

Art is a very broad term and can include a diverse range of human activities right from visuals, auditory skills to even performing arts. They are usually a form of expression for the artists’ where they get to emote their inner feeling which they usually cannot do publicly.

The oldest form of art was through visual expressions. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the human kind began with communicating through this form of art. Carving on walls and stones, writing with wood or leaves, all this can be clearly described as art. Art is a medium of producing your imagination and ideas and making it a reality. It is creating a whole different world which is used for transferring thoughts. It includes things like drawing, painting, sculpting, calligraphy and progressed to photography later on. Visuals are considered as the strongest forms of art because they leave an impact on the minds of people and also help to communicate strong social messages.Derived from the Latin meaning “to breathe life into”, animation is the visual art of creating a motion picture from a series of still drawings.

One of the oldest forms of art include body painting, face painting, tattoos and mehendi art wherein messages are communicated by painting the human body. Graffiti art is a contemporary form of street art which was also known as a way of expression by the rebels. It usually portrays a strong social message and tries to break the social stigma and hence is not appreciated by the society. The influence of Graffiti art is such that Graffiti artists are now hired by advertising agencies to get their brands painted on the walls so that they attract the attention of potential customers.

Performing arts is another branch which has long existed and continues to entertain and inspire people even today. It is a form in which people express through movements and voices and it is performed in front of a live audience. Theatrical performances, street plays, opera shows, dances, magic shows, illusion, mime, spoken word poetry are all forms of art which help performers express.

Architecture, fashion designing, graphic design, jewellery designing, interior designing are all parts of Applied art forms which are the application of design to objects to make them aesthetically pleasing.

Handicraft is another branch which has its roots in rural crafts and is one of the most treasured but forgotten art form. It is a wide variety of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional form which is related to making things with ones hand and skill including work with textiles, paper plant fiber etc. Handicrafts range from small earrings to home furniture to even stylish clothes and flats. There are many handicraft fair’s where people from small town and villages gather together and sell their colourful work which are pleasing to the eyes.

Art can mean different for different people. In general it is a form of expression and an emotion. Many art forms are not accepted by the society and are known as rebel art or unconventional forms of art. The whippers on the street of Mumbai insert an iron rode in their skin and display a show hitting themselves with the whip. They garner attention full of amazement and sometimes disgust. That is their form of expression. There are many tandav performances on street, the circus performers, the snake charmers, the flute performers, and the ‘bandar naach’ all these are form of art which these people use for making a living. All of them have some depth and meaning associated with their art.

Art should not be restricted to what people say art is. Art is what you believe in; art is what a person does differently. It could be a mother taking care of a child; it could be building a house of cards. Art is anything which someone does passionately and in any way transfers the thoughts and ideas.

Art is unique in its understanding varying with people coming from different backgrounds and culture or even differing with every other person we meet irrespective of their culture. Art is simply you.

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