Artist Job Description
The conception of art has differed throughout history, with many objects which are renowned as art treasures now regarded simply as useful objects when they were created. To say that an artist is one who creates art is to engage in a circular statement, unless some attempt is made to clarify the term "art." A job description for an artist depends largely on what either the public or the artist herself considers to be art.
Other People Are Reading
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The Fine Arts
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A common consensus is that art is defined as a creation which exists for its own aesthetic purpose rather than to serve some function outside itself. Therefore, artists are those who create items of beauty and contemplation. Through the 18th century, the arts were confined to a limited number of areas: painting, sculpture, architecture, music and poetry. Artists, then, were those individuals who worked in these areas. Since then, it has become fairly well accepted that art encompasses fictional narrative but may not actually include architecture anymore, since most of which are intended for human occupation of some sort.
Arts and Artisans
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Artists are frequently engaged in fields other than art in order to make a living, especially if they have not achieved prominence as artists but sometimes even if they have. The job description of an artist should include her art activities, certainly, but not necessarily exclusively. Today Michelangelo is regarded as one of the great artists of his time, if not all time. However, during his lifetime, he worked not only as a sculptor and a painter but also as an architect. Leonardo da Vinci, who created perhaps the most famous portrait painting of all time, the Mona Lisa, was also a prolific inventor.
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Starving Artists
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The stereotypical description of an artist is that of an underfed, depressed soul eking out an existence and often going unrecognized until he dies. This bleak description belies the truth that many artists are able to make at least a marginal living from their art or related endeavors. It also ignores the fact that in the late 20th and early 21st century, more and more artists (and arts training academies) have placed increasing emphasis on teaching entrepreneurial and business skills to young and emerging artists.
Artists and Talent
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When someone is exceptionally skilled, it is often said that she is an artist at whatever activity she is engaged in, whether that activity is customarily viewed as art or not. Gifted musicians are artists without question; exceptional writers, almost certainly also. However, skilled cooks are often called artists, as are talented fashion designers. On the other hand, someone who does not demonstrate competence, or who seems to engage in what should be creative activities strictly for commercial gain, is often denigrated by being called a "hack" or a "wannabe."
Creating Art
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As stated earlier, the job of an artist is to create art. Art itself may come in many forms and may be exhibited in an art gallery, a designated public space or even as graffiti on a wall. However, the act of creating art often occurs long before brush is applied to a canvas, ink to paper or the first strike is made on a piece of sculpture. Artist often research their pieces, make sketches and even communicate with other artists about the aesthetics of the particular project or about art in general. In many ways, the job description of an artist encompasses a way of life.
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