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Ever since the dawn of time there have been artists. The first recorded proof being that of crudely drawn cave paintings that dates back to over 32,000 years ago. Even before art was recorded people still strived to express themselves and their ideas.

Learning to create and express oneself is a uniquely human characteristic (with some minor exceptions from those painting monkeys, elephants and such). Artwork comes in many forms and had once been considered a form of a highly practiced skill suck as carpentry or bow making. Many art forms today include: painting, photography, music, writing, jewelry, and other crafts. The majority of people however, still think of art of paintings, sculptures and other visual creations, when they hear the term art.

Artwork speaks to both the artist and those viewing the piece. Sometimes the artists’ feelings and motivations for creating the piece are not the same as those viewing the piece. The key characteristic of the most famous pieces are ones that make us think, they make us feel. Other really popular pieces give us a unique look at a particular time period in history.

The aesthetic appeal alone has made purchasing artwork very profitable. People love to incorporate beauty into their lives – the beauty of a scene, moment or feeling. Even the most grotesque artwork holds beauty. The beauty lies in what it makes you feel, how you react and then change your life.

Paintings and pictures of war show can show us the horrible atrocities created. People who then view that piece may feel a sense of gratitude for those that fought and died for a cause. Others may see the darkness that also lives in human nature and then work on making life better; work on preventing those atrocities from happening again.

The tools people use to create artwork may change and current trends effect what is popular and will sell. Some artwork may be all the rave for a while then quietly fade into the background, while others, like the Mona Lisa stay famous for eternity. Art can capture a time period, and emotion or an idea.

Some artwork even stirs up heavy controversy on the appropriateness of the piece. Dead animals, meat clothing and other pieces that have a high shock value sometimes may not be considered art to some, but if you really understand what art is about then it is defiantly art. Not all critics agree on what constitutes valuable art, but then again the world would be a very dull place if everyone agreed with each other.

Art in any form is used to communicate. It is used to send a message or express an idea. Peoples taste in artwork is as diverse as the people who create them. Art is one thing that no matter how it may change it will always be a vital part in peoples’ lives. Art is all around us. On our directtv, on our phones, and even on our computers.

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