Art in history

This article is an overview of the history of the visual arts worldwide. For the academic discipline of art history, see Art history.

The Creation of Adam (1508-1512), byMichelangelo, in the Sistine Chapel (Vatican) | * | * |

| History of art | * Prehistoric * Ancient * European * Eastern * Islamic * Painting (Western) | Art history | * v * t * e |
The history of art is the history of any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview. Over time visual art has been classified in diverse ways, from the medieval distinction between liberal arts and mechanical arts, to the modern distinction between fine arts and applied arts, or to the many contemporary definitions, which define art as a manifestation of human creativity. The subsequent expansion of the list ofprincipal arts in the 20th century reached to nine: architecture, dance, sculpture, music, painting, poetry (described broadly as a form of literature with aesthetic purpose or function, which also includes the distinct genres of theatre and narrative), film,photography and graphic arts. In addition to the old forms of artistic expression such as fashion and gastronomy, new modes of expression are being considered as arts such as video, computer art, performance, advertising, animation, television andvideogames.
The history of art is a multidisciplinary branch of the arts and sciences, seeking an objective examination of art throughout time, classifying cultures, establishing periodizations, and observing the distinctive and influential characteristics of art.[1] The study of the history of art was initially developed during the Renaissance, with its limited scope being the artistic production of Western civilization. However, as time has