The Purpose of Art Is to Educate or Entertain

Fine art has had a swell number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to whatever single concept. This does not imply that the purpose of art is "vague" but that it has had many unique, different reasons for being created. Some of the functions of art are provided in the outline below. The different purposes of fine art may exist grouped according to those that are not-motivated and those that are motivated (Lévi-Strauss).

A Navajo carpet made circa 1880

Non-motivated Functions of Art

The non-motivated purposes of fine art are those that are integral to beingness human being, transcend the individual, or do non fulfill a specific external purpose. In this sense, art, as inventiveness, is something humans must do by their very nature (i.e., no other species creates art), and is therefore beyond utility.

1. Basic human instinct for harmony, remainder, rhythm. Fine art at this level is non an action or an object, but an internal appreciation of balance and harmony (beauty), and therefore an aspect of existence homo across utility.
   

   Imitation, and so, is one instinct of our nature. Adjacent, there is the instinct for 'harmony' and rhythm, meters being manifestly sections of rhythm. Persons, therefore, starting with this natural gift adult past degrees their special aptitudes, till their rude improvisations gave nascency to Poetry. —Aristotle

2. Experience of the mysterious. Fine art provides a way to experience ane'south cocky in relation to the universe. This feel may often come unmotivated, as i appreciates art, music or poetry.
   

   The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all truthful art and science. —Albert Einstein

3. Expression of the imagination. Art provides a means to limited the imagination in nongrammatic ways that are not tied to the formality of spoken or written linguistic communication. Unlike words, which come in sequences and each of which have a definite meaning, art provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas with meanings that are malleable.
   

   Jupiter's eagle [as an example of art] is not, similar logical (aesthetic) attributes of an object, the concept of the sublimity and majesty of cosmos, but rather something else – something that gives the imagination an incentive to spread its flight over a whole host of kindred representations that provoke more idea than admits of expression in a concept determined by words. They replenish an aesthetic thought, which serves the above rational idea as a substitute for logical presentation, but with the proper part, however, of animating the mind by opening out for it a prospect into a field of kindred representations stretching beyond its ken.  —Immanuel Kant

4. Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many cultures, art is used in rituals, performances and dances equally a decoration or symbol. While these frequently take no specific commonsensical (motivated) purpose, anthropologists know that they often serve a purpose at the level of significant within a detail culture. This meaning is not furnished by any ane individual, only is frequently the result of many generations of alter, and of a cosmological relationship within the civilization.
   

   Well-nigh scholars who deal with rock paintings or objects recovered from prehistoric contexts that cannot be explained in utilitarian terms and are thus categorized every bit decorative, ritual or symbolic, are enlightened of the trap posed past the term "art."
   —Silva Tomaskova

Motivated Functions of Art

Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artists or creator. These may exist to bring about political change, to annotate on an aspect of society, to convey a specific emotion or mood, to address personal psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to (with commercial arts) to sell a product, or simply every bit a form of communication.

1. Advice. Art, at its simplest, is a grade of communication. Equally most forms of communication have an intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. Illustrative arts, such as scientific illustration, are a form of art every bit communication. Maps are another example. Withal, the content need not be scientific. Emotions, moods and feelings are as well communicated through art.
   

   [Art is a set of] artifacts or images with symbolic meanings equally a means of communication. —Steve Mithen

2. Art equally amusement. Art may seek to bring nearly a particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of the art industries of Motion Pictures and Video Games.
3. The Avante-Garde. Fine art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth-century art has been to use visual images to bring about political alter. Art movements that had this goal—Dadaism, Surrealism, Russian constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism, among others—are collectively referred to every bit the avante-garde arts.
   

   By contrast, the realistic attitude, inspired past positivism, from Saint Thomas Aquinas to Anatole France, clearly seems to me to exist hostile to any intellectual or moral advancement. I loathe it, for information technology is made up of mediocrity, detest, and dull conceit. It is this attitude which today gives birth to these ridiculous books, these insulting plays. Information technology constantly feeds on and derives strength from the newspapers and stultifies both scientific discipline and art past assiduously flattering the lowest of tastes; clarity bordering on stupidity, a dog's life. —André Breton (Surrealism)

4. Art every bit a "free zone," removed from the action of the social censure. Dissimilar the advanced movements, which wanted to erase cultural differences in guild to produce new universal values, contemporary art has enhanced its tolerance towards cultural differences every bit well as its critical and liberating functions (social inquiry, activism, subversion, deconstruction…), condign a more open place for enquiry and experimentation.
5. Art for social inquiry, subversion, and/or anarchy. While similar to art for political alter, subversive or deconstructivist fine art may seek to question aspects of society without whatever specific political goal. In this case, the function of art may be simply to criticize some aspect of society.

   

   Spray-paint graffiti on a wall in Rome

   Graffiti art and other types of street art are graphics and images that are spray-painted or stenciled on publicly viewable walls, buildings, buses, trains, and bridges, normally without permission. Certain art forms, such as graffiti, may too be illegal when they suspension laws (in this case vandalism).

6. Art for social causes. Art can be used to raise awareness for a big multifariousness of causes. A number of fine art activities were aimed at raising awareness of autism,cancer,human trafficking,and a variety of other topics, such as sea conservation, human rights in Darfur, murdered and missing Aboriginal women, elder abuse, and pollution. Trashion, using trash to make fashion, expert past artists such as Marina Droppings is ane example of using art to raise awareness nigh pollution.
7. Art for psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists equally art therapy. The Diagnostic Cartoon Serial, for case, is used to determine the personality and emotional functioning of a patient. The finish production is not the principal goal in this case, merely rather a procedure of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may likewise offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may propose suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy.
8. Art for propaganda or capitalism. Art is often utilized as a course of propaganda, and thus tin exist used to subtly influence pop conceptions or mood. In a similar way, art that tries to sell a product besides influences mood and emotion. In both cases, the purpose of art here is to subtly manipulate the viewer into a particular emotional or psychological response toward a detail thought or object.
9. Art as a fitness indicator. Information technology has been argued that the ability of the man brain by far exceeds what was needed for survival in the ancestral surround. One evolutionary psychology caption for this is that the human being brain and associated traits (such as artistic power and creativity) are the human equivalent of the peacock's tail. The purpose of the male peacock's extravagant tail has been argued to exist to attract females. According to this theory superior execution of fine art was evolutionarily of import considering it attracted mates.

The functions of art described above are non mutually sectional, as many of them may overlap. For example, art for the purpose of entertainment may also seek to sell a product (i.east. a movie or video game).

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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-2/

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