Everything has an history.
A past that has helped to mold it to what it is now. A past that encourages us to know more and to do more. So is it with art. From Europe to Asia to America to Africa to Australia.
From Stone Age(cave paintings, fertility goddesses and megalithic structures) to Metal Age to Mesopotamian Art(warrior art and narration in stone relief) to Egyptian Art(pyramids and tomb painting) to Greek Art(Greek idealism) to Roman Art(Roman realism).
From Medieval Art(Early Christian art, Byzantine art, Anglo-Saxon art, Viking art, Ottonian art, Romanesque art, Gothic art and Islamic art) to Renaissance Art(rebirth of classical culture) to Baroque Art(art as a weapon in religious wars) to Neoclassicalism(art that recaptures Greco-Roman grace and grandeur) to Romantic Art(the triumph of imagination and individuality) to Academic Art to Realism(celebrating working class and peasants) to Impressionism(capturing fleeting effects of natural light) to Post-Impressionism(a soft revolt against Impressionism) to Fauvism and Expressionism(harsh colors and flat surfaces, emotion distorting form) to Cubism to Dadaism to Surrealism and then, Contemporary Art.
The use of stone, wood, bone, clay, Amber, copper, bronze, iron, brick, lintel, arc, concrete, gold, tree barks and many others. Art seemed to have explored every continent, technique and material you could ever imagine. It will, however, surprise you to know that people are still inventing newer ways to express themselves.
From the use of acrylic to charcoal to food and everyday items. This only proves the uniqueness of art and how art represents different things in our lives. So whether in its history, present or future, one thing stands unchanged. That although art, as defined in the dictionary, is expressing and applying creative skill and imagination appreciated for its beauty or emotional power. It is mainly what it means to you.
So tell me, what does art mean to you?